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573  THE  ANGLO-SAXON  EPISCOPATE 
of  Cornwall,  with  some  Account  of  the 
Bishops  of  Crediton,  by  E.  H.  PBDLER, 
1856,  8vo,  cloth  4s  6d 


'Doulas 

Kansas 
Suum  Quique 


f* 


FROM-THE-  LIBRARY  OF 
TRINITYCOLLEGETORDNTO 


T 


nil- 


EPISCOPATE  OF  CORNWALL. 


THE 


EPISCOPATE  OF  CORNWALL; 


WITH  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 


BISHOPS    OF    CREDITOR 


BY 


E.  II.  PEDLER,   ESQ. 


LONDON: 
JOHN   PETHERAM,   94,    HIGH    HOLBORN, 

MDCCCLVI. 


'46 


LONDON : 

F.  PICKTON,  PRINTER, 
PKRKY'S  PLACE,  29,  OXFOKD  STBEET. 


J984 


PREFACE. 


THE  following  work  was  commenced  with  little  expecta 
tion  of  its  being  submitted  to  the  public,  especially  in 
its  present  form.  The  Cornish  Episcopate  did  not 
appear  to  possess  sufficient  interest  for  a  separate 
publication.  It  happened,  however,  whilst  the  subject 
was  undergoing  investigation,  that  a  proposition  was 
advanced,  and  seriously  entertained,  of  reviving  this 
ancient  Bishoprick,  which  induced  the  Author  to  believe 
that  some  curiosity  would  naturally  arise  to  ascertain 
what  is  known  of  the  See,  as  it  existed  in  remote  times. 
In  the  hope  of  supplying  this  information,  he  completed 
the  work,  and  has  committed  it  to  the  press.  He  is  not, 
however,  without  apprehension  that,  by  detaching  the 
subject  from  a  more  general  view  of  the  County  History, 
during  the  cotemporaneous  period,  and  by  presenting  it 
only  as  a  mere  torso,  an  imperfect  fragment  of  an  age 
long  since  passed  away,  he  has  incurred  the  risk  of 


IV  PREFACE. 

weakening  the  evidences,  and  of  rendering  the  argu 
ments  arising  out  of  them,  less  convincing  and  con 
clusive  than  they  would  otherwise  have  appeared.  He 
has  only  to  add,  that  from  a  desire  that  the  work  should 
be  easily  intelligible  to  the  general  reader,  he  has 
thought  it  right  to  introduce  translations  as  well  as 
explanatory  matter,  which,  for  the  purposes  of  the 
professed  antiquary,  would  be  deemed  unnecessary  and 
out  of  place. 

LISKEARD,  31^  July,  1856. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  existence  of  a  Bishoprick  of  Cornwall  is  a  fact 
of  so  ancient  a  date  as  to  be  little  known,  excepting 
to  the  student  of  antiquity.  It  belongs  exclusively  to 
the  Anglo-Saxon  times.  We  may  remember  that  our 
Anglo-Saxon  progenitors  crossed  the  German  Ocean  and 
colonized  this  country  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries 
of  our  era.  The  circumstances  attending  this  event, 
although  of  the  greatest  interest  to  us  as  Englishmen, 
are  very  imperfectly  known ;  and  the  little  information 
we  possess  respecting  them,  is  derived  only  through 
the  untrustworthy  channels  of  tradition.  If  we  may 
believe  the  accounts  transmitted  to  us,  the  colonists 
arrived  in  this  island,  in  separate  bodies,  and  at  different 
periods  of  time,  each  band  of  adventurers  having  its 
own  leader  or  chieftain,  to  whom,  when  they  had  settled 
down  upon  their  newly  acquired  territories,  they  gave 
the  title  of  "  cyning,"  or  king.  It  was  thus  that  several 
independent  principalities,  or  petty  kingdoms,  became 
established  in  the  southern  half  of  the  island  of 
Britain,  and  the  destinies  of  the  English  nation  may 
be  said  to  have  commenced. 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

The  colonists  who  obtained  the  possession  of  the 
south-western  districts  of  Britain,  first  located  them 
selves  on  the  part  of  the  country  which  now  nearly 
corresponds  with  the  county  of  Southampton.  They 
were  designated  by  the  name  of  "The  Gewissi,"1  and 
afterwards  by  that  of  "The  West  Saxons."  Their 
colony  was  confined  on  the  east  and  north  by  other 
settlements  of  their  countrymen ;  but  on  the  west 
there  intervened  no  obstacle  to  a  further  extension  of 
their  territory  but  the  despised  and  pusillanimous 
Briton.  On  this  side,  by  slow  but  sure  steps,  and 
not  without  many  conflicts  with  the  natives,  the  West 
Saxons  continually  advanced  their  settlements,  until 
they  finally  extended  their  dominion  to  the  farthest 
extremity  of  the  Cornish  peninsula.  It  was  also  the 
good  fortune  or  the  merit  of  this  state,  to  acquire  an 
ascendency  over  all  the  others,  and,  by  fusing  them 
together,  to  establish  a  single  sovereignty  over  the  whole 
of  England. 

At  the  time  of  their  first  arrival  in  the  island,  these 
German  immigrants  were  rude  and  unpolished  barba 
rians,  ignorant  alike  of  the  arts  of  civilised  life  and  of  the 
truths  of  the  Christian  religion.  In  all  these  respects 
the  inhabitants  of  Britain,  whom  they  invaded  and 
despoiled  of  their  lands,  enjoyed  a  striking  superiority  : 
an  advantage  which  they  had  acquired  from  the  teach- 

1  "  G-e"  is  generally  redundant  in  the  Anglo-Saxon;  "wissi"  or  "visi"  is 
identical  with  "  west."  Thus  the  Ostrosothi  and  Visigothi  are  the  Eastern  and 
Western  G-oths. 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll 

ing  of  their  Roman  masters.  It  has  been  imputed  to 
them  as  a  crime,  by  one  of  their  own  countrymen,  that 
they  omitted  to  impart  to  their  Saxon  invaders  a  know 
ledge  of  the  true  faith ;  but  the  active  hostilities  which 
for  many  ages  separated  the  two  races,  may  have  been 
an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  fulfilment  of  this 
duty.  The  omission  was,  however,  supplied  from 
another  and  a  far  distant  quarter.  A  ray  of  the  divine 
light,  emanating  from  Rome,  fell  upon  the  benighted 
intelligences  of  those  untutored  sons  of  adventure.  It 
was  favourably  received,  and  in  process  of  time  the 
religion  of  the  Cross  triumphed  over  Anglo-Saxon 
idolatry. 

The  conversion  of  the  West  Saxons  was  effected  by 
the  preaching  of  Birinus,1  a  Roman  missionary,  and  on 
embracing  Christianity,  they  established  a  bishoprick  at 
Dorchester,  near  Oxford,  of  which  Birinus  was  the  first 
prelate ;  and  presently  afterwards  a  second  at  Winches 
ter,  their  principal  town.  West  Saxony,  at  that  period, 
was  of  no  great  extent,  and  two  sees  were  sufficient  for 
its  wants.  But  as  its  territories  became  enlarged,  there 
were  added  the  bishopricks  of  Sherborne,  Wilts,  Wells, 
Crediton,  and  finally  of  Cornwall.  This  distinction  of 
possessing  a  separate  episcopacy,  Cornwall  was  not  des 
tined  to  enjoy  for  any  permanency.  After  the  lapse  it  may 
be  of  somewhat  more  than  a  century,  at  a  time  when  a 
foreign  priesthood  filled  the  ranks  of  the  English  Church, 

1  See  Chronological  Table  in  the  Appendix. 


Vlli  INTRODUCTION. 

and  at  the  instigation  of  a  foreign  prelate  who  then  oc 
cupied  the  episcopal  throne,  it  was  brought  to  a  close. 
The  Cornish  and  Devon  dioceses  were  united  into  one, 
and  the  seat  of  the  bishop  was  established  at  Exeter. 
With  the  causes  which  led  to  this  change  we  are  but  im 
perfectly  acquainted ;  the  reasons  assigned  for  it  appear 
inadequate  and  unsatisfactory;  and  the  purity  of  the 
motive  is  not  without  suspicion.  But  whether  the  measure 
was  defensible  or  not  at  that  time,  there  is  an  opinion 
that  the  exigencies  of  the  present  day  demand  its  rever 
sal  ;  and  after  eight  hundred  years  of  acquiescence,  Par 
liament  will  probably  be  called  on  to  reconsider  its  policy, 
and  to  vindicate  the  wisdom  of  our  Anglo-Saxon  fore 
fathers,  by  restoring  to  Cornwall  its  separate  episcopacy. 
The  ordinance  by  which  its  abolition  was  effected,  is  pre 
served  in  a  contemporary  record,  or  royal  charter,  the 
contents  of  which  are  well  known,  and  will  be  submitted 
in  the  following  work.  Like  other  instruments  of  that 
kind,  it  possibly  partook  of  the  nature  of  a  legislative 
and  parliamentary  act  of  that  period ;  and  it  is  a  remark 
able  circumstance,  and  one  which  well  illustrates  the 
continuous  and  unbroken  current  of  our  national  fortunes, 
that,  notwithstanding  its  great  antiquity,  this  document 
might  still  be  appealed  to,  as  the  authority  for  the  law 
which  it  is  now  proposed  to  rescind.  Not  that  we  sup 
pose  it  necessary  for  Parliament  to  notice  it  in  dealing 
with  this  subject,  for  its  extreme  age  so  greatly  transcends 
the  limits  practically  assigned  to  our  written  laws,  that 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

its  enactments  will  doubtlessly  be  regarded  as  a  portion 
of  the  unwritten  or  common  law  of  the  land. 

Although  the  termination  of  the  Cornish  Episcopate 
is  distinctly  brought  before  us,  by  historical  and  other 
records,  the  time  and  circumstances  of  its  commence 
ment,  the  prelates  who  presided  over  it,  and  its  other 
incidents,  are  all  subjects  more  or  less  involved  in  the 
obscurity  which  envelops  that  early  portion  of  our 
national  history ;  increased  probably  by  the  remoteness 
and  secondary  importance  of  the  locality.  The  evidences 
which  relate  to  it  are  mostly  of  an  unconnected  and  frag 
mentary  character.  They  require  to  be  gleaned  from 
many  sources;  their  variances  to  be  reconciled;  and  their 
import  to  be  ascertained,  by  comparing  them  with  each 
other,  or  with  the  "general  history  of  the  times.  An 
attempt  has  been  made  in  the  following  work  to  accom 
plish  this  object ;  to  bring  together  all  the  material 
testimonies  which  are  known  to  exist;  and  so  to  place 
them  before  the  reader,  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  exer 
cise  his  own  judgment  on  all  points  of  doubt  or  con 
troversy.  And,  although  the  task  may  not  have  been 
executed  with  all  the  completeness  of  which  it  is  suscep 
tible,  the  writer  is  not  without  a  hope  that  the  succeed 
ing  pages  may  be  of  some  service  to  those  who  desire  to 
investigate  this  obscure  portion  of  local  history. 


C  0  N  T  E  N  T  S. 


PAGE 

INTEODUCTION         ....  ......      v 

CHAPTEE  I. — Commencement  of  the  subject — Two  heads  of  inquiry — 
Names  of  Prelates— Place  of  the  See —  Cornish  See  asserted  by  William 
of  Malmesbury  to  have  commenced  A.D.  904,  and  ./Ethelstan  the  first 
bishop,  proved  an  error — Various  authorities  quoted  for  this  purpose 
— Previous  difficulties  removed  by  correcting  this  error — Other 
bishops  :  Buruhwold,  ^Ethelstan,  Ealdred,  Conan — Bishop  Godwine's 
list  of  bishops  not  satisfactorily  established — Additional  names  from 
the  Bodmin  Book  of  the  Gospels— Some  account  of  this  document  .  1 

CHAPTEE  II. — Evidence  derived  from  the  Manumissions  recorded  in  the 
Bodmin  Book  of  the  Gospels — Table  comparing  it  with  the  evidence 
of  the  Charters — Bishops  ^Ethelgeard,  Comoere,  Wulfsige,  in  the  time 
of  Duke  Ordgar — ^Ethelstan — Account  of  Duke  Ordgar — The  story 
of  Eadgar  and  2Elfrytha  from  Geoffrey  Gaimar's  Chronicle — Bishops 
jEthelred,  Buruhwold,  in  the  time  of  Duke  ^Ethelwserd,  and  Abbat 
Germanus — An  account  of  the  Duke  and  the  Abbat — These  Bishops 
not  Chorepiscopi,  as  supposed  ........  23 

CHAPTEE  III. — Buruhwol<t  not  the  last  of  the  Cornish  Bishops,  as  usually 
stated — Lyving  and  Leofrick  to  be  considered  Bishops  of  this  see — 
An  account  of  Bishop  Lyving  and  of  Bishop  Leofrick — His  Charter 
or  Will— Termination  of  the  Cornish  See,  A.D.  1050— List  of  the 
Cornish  Bishops,  with  the  authorities — The  Crediton  Bishops — List 
of  them  compiled  from  the  Charters — Observations  thereon  .  .  45 

CHAPTEB  IV. — The  Place  of  the  Cornish  See  according  to  modern  and 
ancient  authorities— St.  Germans  or  St.  Petrock's— Dispute  as  to  the 
site  of  the  latter — "Whether Bodmin  or  Padstow — Proved  to  be  Bodmin 
— The  Bodmin  Monastery  resting  on  historic  testimony — That  at 
Padstow  solely  on  conjecture — Evidences  in  favour  of  each  view — 
Story  of  the  body  of  St.  Petrock  clandestinely  removed  from  Bodmin 
and  taken  to  France — Again  restored — Padstow  not  the  ancient  name  .  59 

CHAPTEE  V. — Place  of  the  See  continued — Testimonies  adduced — Inqui 
sition  temp.  Edw.  III. — Charter  of  King  -3£thelred,  annexing  Saint 
Petrock's  to  the  See  of  Saint  Germans — Charter  of  King  Cnut — 
Charter  of  King  Eadward,  uniting  the  Cornish  and  Devon  Bishopricks, 
and  See  removed  to  Exeter,  A.D.  1050— Possibly  a  joint  See  of  Saint 
Germans  and  Saint  Petrock's — Relation  of  the  Bishop  to  the  Monas 
tery—Transfer  of  its  Lands  on  the  removal  of  the  See — Those  of  Saint 
Germans  divided — No  part  of  Saint  Petrock's  Estates  transferred — 
Leland's  authority — Evidence  of  the  Manumissions  as  to  the  See  not 
conclusive  as  assumed  by  Mr.  D.  Gilbert — Recapitulation  .  .  .75 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  VI. — Commencement  of  the  Cornish  See — involved  in  obscurity 
— not  easily  accounted  for — The  silence  of  the  Bodleian  MS.  respect 
ing  it — from  what  cause — Difficulties  explained  by  supposing  the  See 
to  be  of  British  foundation — Reasons  assigned  for  the  removal  to 
Exeter — somewhat  questionable — prejudicial  to  the  Cornish — Evi 
dence  from  Architectural  Remains — atBodmin — at  St.Q-ermans — Cud- 
denbeake  stated  to  have  been  the  Bishop's  Palace — Conclusion  .  96 


APPENDIX, 

No. 
I.  King  ^Ethelstan's  Gift  of  Relics  to  Saint  Mary  and  Saint  Peter's 

Monastery  at  Exeter      .        . 115 

II.  King  ^Ethelred's  Charter .  119 

III.  King  Cnut's  Charter 126 

IV.  King  Eadward's  Charter .  130 

V.  Bishop  Leofrick's  Charter     .        .        . 136 

VI.  The  Bodleian  MS ,        .        .  141 

VII.  Table  of  Eorls  of  Devon ,         .151 

VIII.  Charter  of  King  Henry  III.  .        . 152 

IX.  Inquisition  temp.  Edward  III.       ....,,,  154 

X.  Proceedings  against  the  Prior  of  Bodrnin       .....  157 

XI.  King  JSthelstan's  Charter  relating  to  the  See  of  Crediton       .        .  161 

XII.  The  Grants  by  King  Eadward  to  Duke  ^Ethelweard ;  and  by  King 

^Ethelstan  to  Saint  Petrock's  Monastery         .        .         .        .165 

XIII.  Chronological  Table .        .169 

INDEX  171 


ERHATA, 

Page     5,  note,  for  jucundurn,  read  jocundum, 
6,  line  20,  for  this,  read  his. 

note  2,  for  Cantuaria,  read  Cantuarise. 

—  11,  note,  third  line  from  bottom,  for  Sunnengensian,  read 

Sunnungnensian. 

—  24,  line  2,  for  Petrociensis,  read  Petrocenais. 

—  27,  note  1,  for  filiam,  read  filiam. 

—  42,  line  8,  /or*Kamsay,  read  Eameey. 

—  123,  line  8  from  bottom,  for  Pretrocua,  read  Petrocus. 


THE 

ANGLO-SAXON  EPISCOPATE  OF  CORNWALL 


CHAPTER    I. 

Commencement  of  the  subject — Two  heads  of  inquiry  :  1.  Names  of  the  Cornish 
Prelates.  2.  Place  of  their  see — The  Cornish  see  said  by  William  of  Malmes- 
bury  to  have  been  created  A.D.  904,  and  ^Ethelstan  the  first  prelate,  proved 
to  be  an  error — Various  authorities  quoted  for  this  purpose — Previous  difficul 
ties  removed  by  correcting  this  error — Other  bishops :  Buruhwold,  /Ethelstan, 
Ealdred,  Conan — Bishop  Godwine's  list  of  bishops  not  satisfactorily  esta 
blished — Additional  prelates  disclosed  by  the  Bodmin  book  of  the  Gospels 

— Some  account  of  this  document. 

•. 

IT  is  universally  admitted  that  the  county  of  Cornwall, 
in  the  Anglo-Saxon  period,  constituted  a  separate  eccle 
siastical  diocese,  and  that  it  continued  to  enjoy  this  dis 
tinction  almost  down  to  the  time  of  the  Norman  Conquest. 
It  is  also  generally  asserted  in  our  county  histories,  that 
Cornwall  was  first  erected  into  an  episcopal  see  by  King 
Eadward  the  elder,  A.D.  904 ;  but  we  believe  it  will  be 
in  our  power  to  show  that  this  assertion  has  been  made 
on  insufficient  grounds,  and  is  not  entitled  to  command 
our  assent.  Indeed  we  are  not  aware  that  there  is  any 
historic  evidence  which  distinctly  informs  us  when  this 
bishoprick  was  created ;  and  the  absence  of  it — since  it 
is  nowhere  accounted  for — is  deserving  of  remark.  It 
not  only  leaves  m  in  a  state  of  uncertainty  with  regard 
to  the  origin  of  the  episcopate,  but  induces  a  surmise  that 
it  must  have  existed  under  some  peculiar  and  anomalous 

B 


xJ  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

circumstances.  There  is,  however,  no  such  uncertainty 
respecting  its  extinction,  which  was  occasioned  by  the 
Cornish  and  Devon  dioceses  being  united  into  one  ;  upon 
which  the  seat  of  the  bishop  was  established  at  Exeter, 
where  it  has  remained  to  this  day.  This  event  occurred 
in  the  reign  of  King  Eadward  the  Confessor,  A.D.  1050, 
just  sixteen  years  antecedently  to  the  Norman  Conquest. 
The  darkness  of  the  age  to  which  the  Cornish  epis 
copate  belongs,  and  the  great  interval  of  time  which 
separates  us  from  it,  conspire  to  render  our  view  of  it 
indistinct  and  obscure.  Such  vestiges  of  its  existence  as 
have  survived  to  our  own  day,  are  neither  very  numerous 
nor  of  great  significance :  indeed  little  more  has  come 
down  to  us,  to  satisfy  our  curiosity,  than  a  few  brief 
notices  and  occasional  allusions,  which  may  be  found 
scattered  over  the  pages  of  ancient  chroniclers,  or  pre 
served  in  contemporary  records.  In  this  dearth  of  in 
formation  under  which  it  is  our  misfortune  to  labour,  it 
will  not  be  expected  that  we  should  produce  a  perfect 
and  unbroken  history  of  this  ancient  bishoprick,  or  even 
that  we  should  furnish  any  account  of  it  having  the 
semblance  of  a  history ;  all  that  we  can  undertake  is,  to 
adduce  such  casual  and  unconnected  testimonies  respect 
ing  it,  as  have  been  discovered  in  the  works  of  ancient 
writers,  and  other  records  of  antiquity ;  to  reduce  them 
into  chronological  order ;  and  to  supply  such  explanatory 
observations  as  may  render  their  import  more  intelligible, 
or  throw  light  upon  the  main  subject  of  the  inquiry. 
And  if  the  result,  from  its  incompleteness,  should  disap 
point  expectation,  we  can  only  lament  that  the  memory 
of  past  events,  in  common  with  whatever  belongs  to 
humanity,  should  have  been  doomed  to  fade  and  pass 
away.  But  it  is  hoped  that  the  views  which  we  shall 
obtain  of  the  transactions  of  a  remote  age — transient  and 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  JJ 

superficial  as  such  views  must  necessarily  be — will  not 
be  wholly  uninstructive  or  without  interest.  Occasionally 
there  will  be  brought  under  our  notice,  modes  of  think 
ing  and  acting,  and  a  condition  of  society,  in  striking 
contrast  with  such  as  are  now  familiar  to  us :  and  espe 
cially  we  shall  have  occasion  to  observe  the  all-pervading 
influence  of  the  Church  ;  conspicuous  not  only  within 
her  own  sphere,  but  in  the  solemn  formularies  of  the 
law,  and  in  the  ordinary  dealings  of  every-day  life.  The 
peculiar  position  too  in  which  Cornwall  was  then  placed, 
with  regard  to  the  rest  of  England,  will  not  pass  un 
noticed  ;  inhabited  as  it  was  by  a  surviving  remnant  of 
the  old  Celtic  race,  which,  after  ages  of  resistance,  had 
but  recently  submitted  to  English  rule.  And  although  it 
would  not  be  consistent  with  the  plan  of  this  work  to 
advert,  but  incidentally,  to  these  various  topics,  we  may 
nevertheless  hope  that  they  will  occasionally  supply 
matter  for  reflection,  and  compensate,  in  some  degree, 
for  the  few  facts  it  is  in  our  power  to  produce  in  illus 
tration  of  the  principal  subject. 

The  purpose  then  which  we  have  in  view,  of  collecting 
such  historical  notices  of  the  Cornish  Episcopate  as  have 
escaped  oblivion,  and  of  presenting  them  in  the  succeed 
ing  pages,  will,  we  believe,  be  best  accomplished  by  pur 
suing  an  inquiry  under  the  two  following  heads  : — First, 
the  names  of  the  Prelates  who  presided  over  the  Cornish 
diocese ;  and  secondly,  the  place  of  their  See.  Both 
branches  of  the  inquiry  have  already  given  occasion  to 
some  controversy  :  for  our  early  historians  having  omitted 
to  inform  us  of  the  names  of  the  Cornish  bishops ;  this 
omission,  modern  investigators,  with  much  industry  and 
no  little  variance  amongst  themselves,  have  endeavoured 
to  supply.  And  with  regard  to  the  see ;  although  we  are 
sufficiently  assured  that  previously  to  the  union  of  the 


4  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

Devon  bishoprick  with  that  of  Cornwall,  the  prelates  of 
the  former  were  seated  at  Crediton,1  history  has  nowhere 
informed  us,  with  any  exactness,  where  the  see  of  the 
Cornish  prelates  was  placed ;  and  the  opinions  of  recent 
times  have  been  divided,  in  maintaining  the  respective 
claims  of  St.  Germans  and  Bodmin  to  this  distinction. 
These  two  subjects  of  controversy  we  now  propose  to 
examine ;  and  our  first  inquiry  will  be,  to  ascertain  who 
were  the  bishops  that  presided  over  the  see. 

The  earliest  writer  to  whom  we  can  have  recourse  for 
information,  is  Florence  of  Worcester,  who  wrote  his 
Chronicle  shortly  after  the  Norman  Conquest,  and,  con 
sequently,  at  no  very  long  period  after  the  consolida 
tion  of  the  two  sees ;  indeed  that  event  may  possibly 
have  occurred  in  his  own  lifetime.2  This  author  has  left 
us  the  names  of  the  Crediton  bishops ;  but  he  gives  us 
no  such  information  respecting  the  Cornish  episcopate, 
although  he  briefly  adverts  to  the  circumstance  of  its 
union  with  that  of  Devon  in  the  reign  of  Eadward  the 
Confessor.  The  next  authority  which  we  can  call  to  our 
aid,  is  the  Chronicle  of  William  of  Malmesbury,  who 
in  early  life  was  a  contemporary  of  Florence;3  but  the 
Chronicle  of  William  is  almost  as  deficient  in  informa 
tion  as  that  of  the  other  historian.  There  is,  however,  a 
passage  in  his  works,  which  has  been  usually  thought  to 
have  reference  to  this  subject,  and  which  it  is  therefore 
incumbent  upon  us  to  adduce. 

When  Beda  brought  his  ecclesiastical  history  to  a  close, 
A.D.  731,  there  was  no  bishop  in  West  Saxony  seated 

1  According  to  Camden  and  Bishop  Godwine,  the  see  was  first  at  Tawton, 
and  soon  afterwards  was  removed  to  Crediton.     We  are  not  aware  upon  what 
authority  this  assertion  rests. 

2  Florence  of  Worcester  died  A.D.  1118. 

3  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  about  A.D.  1095  or  1096,  and  to  have 
died  about  A.D.  1143.     See  Preface  to  Dr.  Giles'  translation,  1847. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  5 

further  west  than  Sherborne ;  indeed,  at  that  time  the 
Saxon  arras  had  probably  not  made  very  much  progress 
to  the  westward  of  that  city  :  but  as  the  Saxons  extended 
their  conquests  in  that  direction,  and  added  new  territory 
to  their  dominions,  it  became  necessary  to  make  further 
provision  for  the  authority  of  the  Church,  by  establish 
ing  bishopricks  in  the  conquered  provinces.  It  should 
seem,  however,  that  the  West  Saxon  monarchs  had  been 
neglectful  of  this  duty  to  the  Church ;  inasmuch  as  no 
additional  bishopricks  had  been  created  so  late  as  the 
reign  of  Eadward  the  elder — nearly  two  hundred  years 
after  the  time  of  Beda.  This  omission  appears  the  more 
remarkable,  for,  during  this  interval,  the  West  Saxon 
settlements  had  spread  over  the  whole  of  what  is  now 
called  Devonshire,  and  had  even  passed  the  river  Tamar, 
into  Cornwall.  We  are  told,  that  this  neglect  roused  the 
anger  of  Pope  Formosus ;  and,  in  consequence  of  his 
menaces,  King  Eadward  not  only  appointed  bishops  to 
the  sees  of  Winchester  and  Sherborne,  which  he  had 
allowed  to  be  vacant,  but  on  the  same  day  he  created 
five  new  episcopates.  The  story  is  told  by  William  of 
Malmesbury,  in  the  following  passage,  which,  on  account 
of  its  important  bearing  on  our  subject,  we  give  entire, 
translated  into  English  : — 

"  But  to  return  to  our  Eadward  ;  what  in  his  time  was 
commanded  by  Pope  Eormosus,  respecting  the  renewal 
of  the  bishopricks,  I  think  it  will  be  entertaining  to  relate, 
and  will,  therefore,  insert  in  the  same  words  in  which  I 
found  it  recorded/' 

"  In  the  year  when,  from  the  nativity  of  our  Lord,  904 
years  had  been  completed,  Pope  Formosus  sent  letters  to 
England,  pronouncing  excommunication  and  malediction 

1  "  Jucundum  puto  mcniovatn,  itaque  yerbis  eisdem  quibus  inveni  seripta 
iulerseravn." 


6  THE    EPISCOPATE    OE    CORNWALL. 

on  King  Eadward  and  all  his  subjects,  instead  of  the 
benediction  which  the  blessed  Gregory  had  pronounced 
on  the  English  nation,  from  the  seat  of  Saint  Peter.   For 
during  seven  whole  years  had  the  entire  district  of  the 
Gewisi,  that  is,  of  the  West  Saxons,  been  destitute  of 
bishops.     As  soon  as  this  was  heard,  King  Eadward 
assembled  a  synod  of  the  senators  of  the  English  nation, 
over  which  presided  Pleimundus,  Archbishop  of  Canter 
bury,   strictly  interpreting  the  words  of  the  legation. 
Then  the  King  and  Bishops  took  wholesome  counsel  for 
themselves  and  their  people ;  and,  according  to  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  "The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the 
labourers  are  few/  they  elected  and  appointed  several 
bishops  to  the  several  provinces  of  the  Gewisi ;  and  that 
which  formerly  was  held  by  two,  they  divided  into  five. 
When  the  conference  was  over,  the  Archbishop  proceeded 
to  Rome  with  handsome  presents,  and  appeased  the  Pope, 
with  much  humility,  reciting  the  royal  decree  which  was 
particularly  pleasing  to  the  apostolic  personage.    Having 
returned  to  this  country,  he,  on  one  day,  ordained  at  the 
city  of  Canterbury,  seven  bishops  to  seven  churches : — 
Fridestan  to  the  church  of  Winchester,  Adelstan  to  that 
of  Cormvall,  Werstan  to  that  of  Sherborne,  Adelelm  to 
that  of  Wells,  Edulf  to  that  of  Crediton.     But,  likewise, 
to  the  other  provinces  he  appointed  two  bishops :  to  the 
South  Saxons,  Bernegus,  a  suitable  person;   and  to  the 
Mercians,  Chenulf,  at  the  city  of  Dorchester.1    All  which 
the  Pope  confirmed,  so  that  whoever  should  subvert  this 
decree  should  be  punished  everlastingly/'2 

1  Dorchester  had,  some  time  before,  been  severed  from  West  Saxony,  and 
made  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Mercia. 

2  "  Eediens  ad  patriam  in  urbe  Cantuaria  uno  die  septem  episcopos  septem 
ecclesiis  ordinavit.    Fridestanum  ad  ecclesiam  -Wintoniensem,  Adelstanum  ad 
Cornubiensem,  Werstan  urn   ad  Schireburnensem,  Adelelmum  ad  Wellensem, 
Edulfum  ad  Cridiensem."—  Gul.  de  Malm.  Gest.  Reg.  Angl.  lib.  ii.  c.  5. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  7 

It  is  on  the  authority  of  this  passage,  that  the  Cornish 
episcopate  has  been  generally  assumed  to  have  had  its 
origin,  A.D.  904, l  in  the  reign  of  King  Eadvvard  the  elder ; 
and  that  ^Ethelstan  was  its  first  prelate.  But  this  con 
clusion,  we  must  here  at  once  observe,  we  cannot  accept. 
The  statement  of  the  author,  so  far  at  least  as  it  relates 
to  Cornwall,  we  believe  to  be  altogether  erroneous. 

In  controverting  so  eminent  an  authority  as  that  of 
William  of  Malmesbury,  and  questioning  a  statement 
which  has  been  very  generally  admitted  into  our  county 
histories  as  an  indisputable  fact,  we  are  conscious  that  we 
are  exposing  ourselves  to  a  charge  of  precipitancy,  if  not 
of  presumption,  which  renders  it  necessary  to  explain,  at 
considerable  length,  the  reasons  by  which  we  have  been 
influenced. 

We  do  not  rely  on  the  gross  anachronisms  which 
some  of  our  ablest  antiquaries  have  pointed  out  in  the 
above  passage,  which  alone  are  sufficient  to  shake  our 
faith  in  the  story.2  Nor  do  we  lay  great  stress  on  the 
circumstance,  that  Cornwall  is  apparently  named  second 
in  the  series,  when  it  would  naturally  have  been  the  last. 
Both  these  points  of  exception  undoubtedly  have  some 
degree  of  weight;  but  our  objection  is  of  a  different 
character,  and  assumes  the  correctness  of  the  story  of 
the  appointment  of  the  seven  bishops  in  one  day. 


1  Or,  rather,  in  the  905th  year  of  our  era. 

2  Sir  II.  Spelrnan  is  of  opinion,  that  if  we  suppose  Formosus'  name  to  have 
crept  into  the  text  by  mistake  for  Pope  Leo  V.,  the  error  of  the  passage  would 
be  cured.     He  says,  "  Non  ego  video  quin  sana  fiant  omnia."     But  it  is  well 
known  that  there  are  other  inaccuracies.     Denulf  Bishop  of  Winchester  died 
A.D.  908,  and  Frithestan  succeeded  him  A.D.  910.     In  the  same  year  died  Asser 
Bishop  of  Sherborne,  who  filled  that  see  in  the  time  of  King  Alfred. —  Sax. 
Chron.     These  dates  are  wholly  irreconcileable  with  the  above  story.     But  it 
appears  from  several  charters,  that  the  Winchester  see  was  divided  into  two  by 
King  Eadward,  in  or  shortly  before  the  years  908-9,  Frithestan  being  then  the 
bishop  ;  also  that  Denulf  was  the  bishop  in  904. 


8  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

If  we  turn  to  the  pages  of  the  earlier  chronicler, 
Florence  of  Worcester,  we  shall  find  the  same  story 
narrated  there  also,  and  in  almost  identical  language ;  but 
without  mention  of  the  Pope's  letter.  In  Florence,  how 
ever,  it  is  stated  that  Bishop  ^Ethelstan  was  appointed, 
not  to  the  Cornish  see,  but  to  the  "  Corvinensian  "  [ad 
Corvinensem].1  The  Chronicle  of  William  of  Malmes 
bury  followed  closely,  in  point  of  time,  that  of  Florence ; 
but  in  relating  the  same  transaction,  this  author,  as  we 
have  seen,  substitutes  "  Cornubiensian,"  or  Cornish,  for 
the  "  Corvinensian"  of  Florence.2  It  is  here,  we  ap 
prehend,  that  the  Malmesbury  historian  has  fallen  into 
an  error ;  and  his  text,  having  unfortunately  been  accepted 
as  a  gloss  upon  that  of  Florence,  has  given  occasion  to 
the  general  belief  that  the  two  words  referred  to  meant 
the  same  place.  It  will  now  be  for  us  to  show  that  they 
relate  to  different  places. 

In  the  passage  we  have  extracted  from  his  works,  it 
will  be  seen  that  William  of  Malmesbury  declares  his 
account  to  be  inserted  in  the  very  words  in  which  he 
found  it  written.  Now,  the  same  story  will  likewise  be 

1  "Rex  Anglorum,  Eadwardus  primus,  et  archiprsesul  Dorobernise,  Pleig- 
mundus,  salubri  consilio  invento,  singulis  tribubus  Grewissorum,  singulos  con- 
stituentes  episcopos,  singulis  episcopia  constituerunt ;  et  quod  dudum  duo  habu- 
erunt,  in  V.  diviserunt.     Q(uibus  gestis,  Pleigmuiidus,  in  civitate  Dorobernia, 
septem  episcopos  septem  ecclesiis,  in  una  die,  consecravit,  Frithestanum  ad 
ecclesiam  Wintoniensem,.2Ethelstanum  ad  ecclesiam  Corvinensem^  Werstanum  ad 
ecclesiam  Scireburnensem,  ^Ethilhelmum  ad  ecclesiam  Fontanensem,  Eadulfum 
ad  ecclesiam  Cridiatunensem,  Australibus  Saxonicis,  Bernethum,  et  Merciis 
Australibus,  Ccenuulfum,  ad  civitatem  quse  vocatur  Dorceaster." 

This  passage  is  not  in  the  body  of  the  Chronicle,  but  is  among  the  lists  of  the 
bishops  appended  to  it.  It  seems  that  it  is  found  in  all  the  most  ancient  MSS. 
of  Florence,  and  no  doubt  is  entertained  of  the  genuineness  of  the  passage,  what 
ever  doubt  there  may  be  of  the  authenticity  of  the  story. 

2  We  had  at  first  some  suspicion  that  the  text  of  William  of  Malmesbury  had 
been  corrupted ;  but  on  referring  to  Mr.  Hardy's  new  edition,  we  find  nothing 
to  warrant  this  suspicion.     There  are  likewise  other  passages  in  this  author 
wherein  be  ascribes  the  creation  of  the  Cornish  see  to  Eadward  the  elder. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  9 

found  related  in  a  very  ancient  MS.,  which  it  is  said  was 
given  to  Exeter  Cathedral  by  Leofrick,  the  first  bishop 
of  that  see.  It  is  now  in  the  Bodleian  Library,1  and  is 
printed  in  Dugdale's  Monasticon.  This  account  is  much 
more  detailed  than  that  of  William  of  Malmesbury  ;  but 
the  latter,  so  far  as  it  extends,  is  nearly  in  the  selfsame 
words  as  those  of  the  MS.  It  has  been  suggested,  there 
fore,  by  Mr.  J  lardy,  the  editor  of  the  recent  much-esteemed 
edition  of  this  historian's  works,  that  this  was  the  source 
from  whence  he  derived  his  information.  Now,  this  MS., 
as  the  text  is  printed  in  Dugdale,2  agrees  with  Florence 
in  assigning  ^]thelstan  "ad  Corvinensem  ccclesiam" 

There  is  likewise  another  account  of  this  transaction, 
which  will  be  found  in  Sir  H.  Spelman's  Concilia;  and 
which,  he  informs  us,  he  found  among  the  archives  of  the 
Church  of  Canterbury.  On  comparing  it  with  that  of 
the  Bodleian  MS.,  it  appears  to  be  almost  identical  with 
it  ;3  and  here  too,  as  the  text  is  given  in  Sir  H.  Spelman's 
work  Atheist 'an  is  assigned  "ad  Corwiensem"  Now,  that 
these  names,  "  Corvinensem"  and  "  Corwiensem"  were 
not  used  for  "  Cornubiensem"  in  these  two  authorities, 
is  evident  from  the  circumstance,  that  in  the  very  next 
sentence4  which  they  contain,  the  words  "  Cornubia"  and 

1  Bodley  579.     See  Appendix  No.  VI.,  where  we  give  at  length  this  curious 
document,  with  a  translation.     We  shall  often  have  occasion  to  refer  to  it  here 
after.     The  text  should  be  compared  with  William  of  Malmesbury  and  Florence 
of  Worcester. 

The  laudatory  remarks  on  Leofrick,  contained  in  it,  not  to  mention  the  record 
of  his  death,  militate  against  the  assertion  that  it  was  presented  to  the  cathedral 
by  that  bishop. 

2  Through  the  kindness  of  a  friend  who  has  inspected  the  MS.  for  us,  we  are 
enabled  to  say  that  the  text  is  correct. 

3  In  assigning  the  date  of  the  appointment  of  the  bishops,  this  authority 
and  the  Bodleian  MS.  agree  in  substituting  905  for  the  90i  of  William  of 
Malmesbury. 

4  "Eacluulfum  ad  ecclesiam  Cridionensem,  Insuper  addideruut  illi  t res  villas 
in  Cornubia,"  ttc. — See  Appendix  No.  VI. 


10  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

"  Cornubiensem"  are  employed.  It  is  consequently  im 
possible  to  conceive  that  the  writer,  if  he  meant  the  same 
thing,  would,  as  it  were  in  the  same  breath,  have  adopted 
such  different  orthographies.  If  it  were  not  practicable 
to  carry  our  objection  further  than  we  have  done,  we  think 
we  should  have  raised  a  case  of  strong  suspicion  as  to  the 
soundness  of  William  of  Malmesbury's  statement  respect 
ing  the  Cornish  episcopate ;  but  we  think  we  can  yet 
place  the  matter  beyond  doubt. 

On  referring  to  the  pages  of  Mr.  Kenible's  Codex 
Diplomatics,  we  shall  find  appended  to  a  charter  of 
King  ^Ethelred,  A.D.  988,  the  signature  of  "  Sigeric," 
who  describes  himself  as  Bishop  of  the  "  Corruinensian 
Church  "}  No  one,  we  presume,  will  dispute  this  being 
the  see  which  Florence  designates  by  the  term  "  Corvi- 
nensis."  We  shall  also  find  the  bishop  of  this  see  sub 
scribing  his  name,  by  a  similar  description,  to  some  other 
charters.  That  he  is  not  the  Cornish  bishop,  is  placed 
beyond  a  doubt  by  a  charter  of  King  ^Ethelred,  A.D.  993, 
relating  to  the  Monastery  of  Abingdon  in  Berks ;  for  to 
this  charter  we  shall  find  appended  the  signatures  of  the 
bishops  of  both  those  sees.  They  describe  themselves 
respectively  as  the  "  Corruinensian"  and  the  "  Cornu- 
biensian"  prelates  ;  and  the  former,  as  though  sensible 
of  the  obscurity  of  his  see,  adds  to  his  description,  that 
his  diocese  was  adjacent  to  the  monastery  to  which  the 
charter  relates.2  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  the 
same  as  the  Wilton  or  Wiltshire  see.  Mr.  Kemble,  we 
observe,  places  it  at  Ramsbury3  in  Wiltshire.  Now,  it 

1  "  Ego  Sigeric  Corruinensis  secclesiae  episcopus  sigillavi." — No.  665,  Cod.  Dip. 

2  "Ego   selfric  coruinensis  parrochie  eps,  q  pfatu  adiacet  monasteriu,  huic 
dono  scam  cruce   impssi.— Ego  sDldred,  cornubiensis   ecle    eps,  hoc  decretu 
csentiendo  laudavL" — No.  684,  Cod.  Dip. 

3  Index  of  Places,  vol.  vi.  Cod.  Dip.  voc  "  Coruinensis."      See,  too,  Saxons 
in  England"  vol.  ii.  262,  by  the  same  author. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  11 

is  well  known  that  for  several  years  this  place  was  a 
bishop's  see,  which,  it  is  said,  was  afterwards  removed  to 
Sherborne,  and  finally  to  Salisbury.1  It  would,  however, 
carry  us  too  far  from  our  subject  to  enter  upon  this 
investigation ;  nor  is  it  at  all  necessary.  It  is  sufficient 
for  our  purpose,  that  we  have  clearly  shown  that  Corvi 
nensis  does  not  mean  Cornwall,  and  that  William  of 
Malmesbury  has  erred  in  treating  it  as  if  it  did.  We  are, 
therefore,  compelled  to  reject  the  authority  of  this  his 
torian  for  the  supposed  creation  of  the  Cornish  episcopate 
in  the  reign  of  King  Eadward  the  elder,  and  for  the 
appointment  of  ^Ethelstan  as  its  first  bishop,  and  to  apply 
the  statement  to  a  different  see;  and  with  this  interpreta- 


1  \Ve  may  here  note  that  "  Corvinensis  "  is  the  same  church  as  is  just  after 
wards  called  by  Florence  "  Sunnungnensis."  Let  us  see  how  that  is.  Having 
informed  us  that  five  bishops  were  appointed  in  West  Saxony,  to  the  Winchester, 
Corvinensian,  Sherborne,  Wells,  and  Crediton  sees,  he  at  the  same  time  appends 
five  lists  of  bishops,  for  the  Winchester,  Sunnungnensian,  Sherborne,  Wells,  and 
Crediton  sees.  No  one,  comparing  the  two  series,  would,  we  should  have 
thought,  have  hesitated  for  a  moment  in  concluding  that  "  Sunnungnensis"  in 
one  was  the  same  as  "  Corvinensis  "  in  the  other ;  especially  as  we  find  ^Ethelstan 
stands  the  first  in  its  list  of  bishops.  Yet  so  strangely  has  the  great  authority 
of  William  of  Malmesbury  for  reading  "  Corvinensis  "  as  "  Comubiensis  "  pre 
vailed,  and  thrown  the  historic  investigator  on  the  wrong  scent,  that  this  obvious 
conclusion  seems  to  have  been  entirely  disregarded.  That  the  names  referred  to 
do  relate  to  the  same  thing,  we  can  make  still  clearer.  We  shall  find  in  the 
Codex.  Dip.  three  signatures  of  the  "  Corruninensian  "  prelates,  viz.  :  "  Sigeric," 
A.D.  988— "^Elfric,"  A.D.  993—"  Brihwald,"  A.D.  1023;  and,  if  we  refer  to  the 
Sunnungnensian  list  in  Florence,  we  find  the  same  three  bishops  in  the  same 
oi'der,  "Sigericus,"  "  Alfrieus,"  "  Brihtwoldus  "  ;  besides  which,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  ^Ethelstan  is  the  first  in  the  list,  who,  Florence  tells  us,  was 
the  first  Corvineusian  bishop.  Florence  also  informs  us  that  the  Sunnungnensian 
see  was  afterwards  joined  to  Sherborue,  and  finally  established  at  Salisbury ;  and 
the  same  has  been  said  of  the  Raiusbury  see.  But  this  place  is  twenty  miles 
from  Abingdon.  Sunningwell,  Berks,  if  that  be  the  place  indicated  by  Sun 
nungnensian,  is  two  miles  only  from  Abingdon.  William  of  Malmesbury  (Z)e 
Gest.  Pont.  lib.  ii.),  referring  to  the  appointment  of  five  bishops  in  West  Saxony, 
by  Eadward,  adds,  "Not  long  afterwards,  a  sixth  bishop  was  appointed  in 
Ramesbury."  Civssy,  adopting  the  same  statement,  observes  that  Ethelstan 
was  the  name  of  the  first  bishop  of  Ramsbury  (Cressy  xxx.  c.  6).  The  Suu- 
nengensian  see  was  afterwards  styled  the  Wilton  or  Wiltshire  see ;  but  we 
refrain  from  any  further  investigation  of  this  subject. 


12  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

tion,  we  shall  find  that  some  inconsistencies,  which  have 
hitherto  attached  to  the  commonly  received  reading  of  the 
authorities  referred  to,  will  at  once  disappear. 

Both  the  Bodleian  MS.  and  the  acccount  in  the  archives 
of  Canterbury,  after  enumerating  the  bishops  appointed 
in  West  "Saxony,  inform  us  immediately  afterwards,  that 
there  were  also  conferred  upon  Eadulph,  the  Bishop  of 
Crediton,  three  vills  in  Cornwall,  viz.  :  Polltun,  Ccelling, 
and Landuuithan,  "that  he  might  from  thence  visit  the 
Cornish  race  to  extirpate  their  errors ;  for  they  had  pre 
viously,  to  the  utmost  of  their  power,  resisted  the  truth, 
and  not  obeyed  the  apostolic  decrees/' :  Now,  it  seems 
to  us  inconceivable,  that  after  appointing  a  bishop  of 
Cornwall,  an  endowment  should  have  been  conferred  on 
the  Bishop  of  Crediton,  to  enable  him  to  do  that  which 
strictly  fell  within  the  duties  of  the  Cornish  prelate.2 
But  if  we  read  "Corvinensem"  as  something  different  from 
Cornwall,  it  becomes  very  intelligible  that  the  Devonshire 
bishop  should  have  had  the  charge  of  that  small  portion 
of  Cornwall,  which  was  then  subject  to  the  Saxon  govern 
ment.  Again,  as  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that 
nearly  the  whole  of  Cornwall  was,  at  that  time,  still  inde 
pendent,  and  was  not  subjected  to  the  Saxon  government 
until  the  following  reign  of  King  ^Ethelstan,  it  seems 
altogether  a  superfluous  act  to  appoint  a  bishop  for  that 
county,  at  that  early  period.  Indeed,  so  strongly  was 

1  "  Eaduulfum  ad  ecclesiam  Cridionensem.   Tnsuper  addiderunt  illi  tres  villas 
in  Cornubia,  quorum  nomina  hsec  sunt,  Polltun,  Ccelling,  Landuuithan,  ut  inde 
singulis  annis,  visitaret  gentera  Cornubiensem,  ad  extirpandos  eorum  errores. 
Nam  antea,  in  quantum  potuerant,  veritatiresistebant,  et  non  decretis  apostolicis 
obediebant.  Sedetaliis,"&c.  See  Appendix  No.  VI.    By  some  unaccountable  freak 
of  the  printer  or  his  myrmidon,  this  passage  is  quoted  in  Mr.  D.  Gilbert's  History 
of  Cornwall  as  poetry,  being  divided  into  lines  of  equal  length,  each  commencing 
with  a  capital  letter.     He  omits  all  reference  to  any  authority,  and  the  unknown 
poet  was  of  course  sought  for  in  vain. — History  of  Cornwall,  vol.  iii.  p.  416. 

2  Mr.  D.  Gilbert  observes  that  the  reason  assigned  for  the  endowment  of  the 
Crediton  bishop  was  "not  very  flattering  to  the  see  of  Cornwall." 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  13 

Dr.  Whitakcr,  in  his  Ancient  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  im 
pressed  with  this  objection,  that,  being  unable  to  get 
over  the  authority  of  William  of  Malmesbury,  he  boldly 
conjectures  that  King  Eadvvard's  appointment  of  Bishop 
^Ethelstan  must  have  been  a  usurpation — an  attempt  to 
force  a  bishop  upon  the  Cornish  people  against  their  will, 
and  while,  as  yet,  they  were  independent  of  the  Saxon 
authority.  We  now  see,  however,  that  there  is  no  need 
of  resorting  to  this  extreme  supposition.1 

We  trust  that  we  have  now  made  it  sufficiently  evident 
that  there  are  no  valid  grounds  for  supposing  that  the 
Cornish  bishoprick  was  established  in  the  reign  of  King 
Eadward  the  elder,  in  the  manner  stated,  or  that  ^Ethelstan 
was  its  first  prelate.  We  propose,  therefore,  to  reject 
this  personage  from  the  list  of  its  bishops. 

We  learn  from  William  of  Malmesbury  that  Lyving, 
Bishop  of  Crediton,  had  so  much  influence  with  King 
Cnut,  as  to  unite  under  his  own  authority  the  bishop- 
ricks  of  Cornwall  and  Devon,  on  the  decease  of  his  uncle 
Brithwold,  who  was  then  Bishop  of  Cornwall.2  This 
testimony  for  Bishop  Buruhwold  is  confirmed  by  the  still 
earlier  authority  of  Florence.  We  have  likewise  the  ad 
ditional  evidence  of  a  charter  of  King  Cnut,  A.D.  1018, 
containing  a  grant  of  lands  "  to  his  most  faithful  Bishop 
Burhwold"  and  to  Saint  Gcrmanus?  The  signature  of 
the  bishop  is  subscribed  to  the  document,  and  there  can 


1  Whitaker's  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  vol.  i.  pp.  57,  58. 

2  "  Livingus  ex  monaclio  Wintoniensi,  Abbas  Tavistokensis,   et  episcopus 
Cridiensis,  maximre  familiaritatis  et  potentice,  apud  Cnutonem  regem  habitus 
est. — Eo  apud  eum  gratis  processit,  ut  defuncto  avunculo  suo  Brithwoldo,  qui 
erat  Cornubiensis  episcopus,  ambos  arbitratu  suo  uuiret  episcopatus." — William 

of  Malmesbury,  De  Oest.  Pont.  lib.  ii. 

3  "  Ego  Cnut,    rex   subthronizatus  Angligenum,    cuidam   meo   fidelissimo 
episcopo,  qui  noto  vocitamine  nuncupatur  Burhwold,  condono — et  post  obitum 
ejus,  terrain  Landerhtun,  commendat  pro  anima  ejus,  et  regis,  saneto  Germano 
in  perpetuam  libcrtatem." — No.  728,  Cod.  Dip.     See  Appendix  No.  III. 


14  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

be  no  doubt  that  it  relates  to  the  Cornish  see.  It  is  upon 
these  grounds  that  Buruhwold  has  been  universally  ad 
mitted  into  the  list  of  Cornish  bishops ;  and  he  has  been 
recognised  as  the  last  who  occupied  that  see. 

Neither  Florence  nor  William  of  Malmesbury  has 
furnished  us  with  the  names  of  any  other  Cornish  prelate  ; 
in  fact  the  latter  candidly  acknowledges  "  that  a  regular 
series  of  the  Cornish  bishops  he  has  no  knowledge  of, 
and  does  not  undertake  to  set  forth."1 

The  names  of  two  others  have,  however,  been  ascer 
tained  from  ancient  documents.  There  is  a  charter  of 
Archbishop  Dunstan,  and  other  prelates,  A.D.  966,  among 
the  signatures  to  which  is  the  following  : — 

"I,  ^thelstan,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  have  advised/'2 

It  is,  we  believe,  the  only  authority  for  this  bishop 
which  is  known  to  exist. 

Another  charter,  containing  a  grant  by  King  ^Ethelred, 
A.D.  994,  makes  express  mention  of  "  the  bishoprick  of 
Bishop  Ealdred,  that  is  in  the  province  of  Cornwall"* 
We  likewise  find  the  signature  of  Ealdred,  as  Bishop  of 
Cornwall,  in  three  other  charters  of  the  following  dates : 
A.D.  993,  995,  and  997. 4  The  claim  of  this  personage 
to  be  placed  among  the  Cornish  bishops  is,  therefore, 
beyond  controversy. 

We  have  now  adduced  all  the  evidences  of  ancient  date 
which  have  enabled  former  writers  on  this  subject  to 
supply  the  names  of  the  Cornish  prelates.  It  will  be 
seen  that  they  furnish  four  only,  viz.  (placing  them  in 

1  "  Cornubiensium  sane  Pontificum  succiduum  ordinem  nee  scio  nee  appono." 
William  of  Malmesbury,  De  Gest.  Pont.  Ang.  lib.  ii. 

2  "  Ego  JSthelstanus  episcopus  Cornubiensis  consilium  dedi."    No.  528,  Cod. 
Dip. 

3  " episcopiurn  Ealdredi  episcopi  id    est  in    provincia  Cornubise." — 

No.  686,  Cod.  Dip.  Appendix  No.  II. 

4  Cod.  Dip.  Nos.  684,  688,  698.      We  believe  it  is  to  the  publication  of  this 
work  that  this  additional  testimony  for  Bishop  Ealdred  is  due. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  15 

order  of  succession),  yEthelstan  I.,  ^Ethelstan  II.,  Ealdred, 
and  Buruliwold :  the  first,  for  the  reasons  stated,  being 
inadmissible.  Such  other  names  as  have  been  supplied, 
rest  on  the  authority  of  writers  in  comparatively  modern 
times,  which  we  will  now  proceed  to  consider. 

Of  these  the  earliest  is  Leland,  the  well-known  traveller 
and  antiquary,  who  came  into  Cornwall  in  the  time  of 
King  Henry  VIII.  He  has  left  us,  in  his  Itinerary,  this 
note  respecting  St.  Germans  Priory,  in  Cornwall : — 

"  Beside  the  hye  altare  of  the  same  Priory,  on  the 
right  hand,  ys  a  tumbe  in  the  walle,  with  an  image  of  a 
Bishop,  and  over  the  tumbe  a  XI  Bishops  paynted,  with 
their  names,  and  verses,  as  token  of  so  many  Bishoppes 
biried  there,  or  that  ther  had  beene  so  many  Bishoppes  of 
Cornwalle  that  had  theyre  seete  theer." 

The  omission  of  Leland  to  record  in  his  works  the 
names  of  these  eleven  bishops,  was  occasioned,  possibly, 
by  the  inscriptions  being  illegible.  But  we  may  well 
admit,  that,  could  he  fortunately  have  made  them  known 
to  us,  an  infinity  of  trouble  would  have  been  saved  to 
subsequent  investigators ;  and  not  a  few  sharp  words 
would  never  have  been  penned. 

In  another  work  which  this  antiquary  has  left  us,  we 
find  some  brief  notices,  which,  as  they  have  an  important 
bearing  on  our  subject,  we  now  extract : — 

"  From  the  charter  of  ^Ethelstan's  donation." 

"  He  raised  one  Conan  to  be  bishop  in  the  Church  of 
Saint  Germans."1 

And  somewhat  farther  on  we  have — 

"  There  were  successively  eleven  bishops  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Germans."2 

1  "  Ex  charta  donat  ^Ethelstani." 

"Erexit  in  ecclesiam  S.  German!  quendam  Conanum  episcopum  anno  D.  936 
nonis  Decembris." — Leland.  Collectanea,  torn.  i.  75. 

"  "  Fuerunt,  successive  undecim  episcopi,  in  ecclesia  S.  Germani." — Hid. 


16  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

If  these  two  notices  could  be  read  in  connection  with 
each  other,  we  should  be  justified  in  concluding  their 
meaning  to  be,  that  King  JEthelstan  founded  the  Cornish 
episcopate,  and  that  Conan  was  its  first  bishop ;  but, 
inasmuch  as  they  are  not  connected  in  the  text,  we  can 
not  be  quite  sure  that  such  is  their  meaning,  although 
such  an  assumption  would  carry  with  it  a  high  degree 
of  probability :  at  all  events,  it  is  evidence,  whatever  it 
may  be  worth,  that  Conan  was  a  bishop  of  Cornwall ; 
and  if  we  could  be  certain  that  Leland  inspected  the 
original  charter  of  JEthelstan,  it  would  be  conclusive. 
No  such  charter  is  now  known  to  exist ;  it  would  there 
fore  be  more  satisfactory  if  we  could  find  some  proof 
"confirmatory  of  this  statement  of  Leland,  who  gathered 
his  information  many  centuries  after  the  event.  On 
examining  the  Cod.  Dip.  we  shall  find,  on  several  occa 
sions  in  the  reign  of  King  JGthelstan,  the  signature  of  a 
Bishop  "  Conan  " :  the  earliest  we  have  found  being  in 
a  charter  dated  A.D.  930.  The  name  is  variously  spelt : 
—as  "  Conan,"  "  Cunan/'  "  Cimian,"  and  once  as 
"  Caynan."  l 

As  the  see  is  nowhere  specified  in  these  signatures,  we 
cannot  be  certain  that  they  apply  to  a  Cornish  prelate ; 
but  the  dates  very  nearly  correspond  with  those  given 
by  Leland.2 

In  support  of  this  evidence  we  may  remark,  that  we  find 

1  Cod.  Dip.  Nos.  352,  353  :    "  Ego  Cunan  epsc.  c.  et  sbs."     364 :  "  Ego 
Conan  episcopus  consensi  et  subscripsi."     367,  1102,  1103,  1107,  1119,  1143  ; 
but  the  last  document  is  not  authentic.  We  think  we  may  fairly  take  for  granted 
that  they  all  relate  to  the  same  person,  though  the  orthography  varies— a  cir 
cumstance  not  unusual  in  those  times. 

2  Leland  gives  926  for  the  date  of  the  foundation  of  St.  Petrockstowe ;    but 
Dr.  Whitaker  observes,  in  his  Cathedral  of  Cornwall  (vol.  i.  p.  24),  that  Leland 
corrected  the  date,  thus,  926.   The  Saxon  Chronicle  gives  926  as  the  year  when 
Howel,  King  of  the  West  Welsh,  or  Cornish,  submitted  to  ^Ethelstan.    Else 
where  Leland  gives  936  as  the  date  of  Conan's  appointment.     See  before. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  17 

no  bishop  of  that  name  in  the  lists  given  by  Florence, 
which  is  to  our  rnind  a  strong  ground  for  believing  that 
he  was  a  Cornish  bishop,  the  list  for  that  see  not  being 
inserted  in  Florence ;  and,  as  we  have  no  knowledge  of 
any  earlier  bishop  in  Cornwall,  we  may  fairly  presume 
that  he  was  the  first,  the  Saxon  power  over  the  entire 
county  having  been  first  established  by  King^Ethelstan. 
It  will  be  observed,  that  Leland  has  stated  that  he 
saw,  in  the  Priory  Church  of  St.  Germans,  the  names  of 
eleven  bishops ;  it  would  be  essential,  therefore,  that  any 
list,  purporting  to  be  complete,  should  produce  an  equal 
number  of  names.  Hitherto  we  have  gleaned  the  names 
of  four  only ;  but  in  this  poverty  of  information,  modern 
writers  have  not  despaired,  and  we  may  learn,  with  some 
surprise,  that,  in  1601,  Bishop  Godwine,  then  subdean 
of  Exeter,  presented  to  the  world  a  complete  series  of 
the  Cornish  prelates — indeed  with  one  more  than  was 
required,  for  he  gives  twelve  in  all.1  The  names  are  as 
follows : — 

1.  Athelstan;    A.D.  905. 

2.  Conanus. 

3.  Ruydocus. 

4.  Aldredus. 

5.  Britwyn. 

6.  Athelstan  ;   he  lived  in  the  year  966. 

7.  Wolfi. 

8.  Woronus. 

9.  Wolocus. 

10.  Stidio. 

11.  Adelredus. 

12.  Burwoldus. 

1  Leland  says  he  saw  the  names  of  eleven  bishops.  Dr.  Whitaker  reads 
Leland's  notes  in  the  Collect,  as  if  he  meant  that  eleven  bishops  succeeded 
Conan. —  Cath.  of  Cornwall,  vol.ii.  194. 

C 


18  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

The  author  of  this  list  fairly  acknowledges  that  he 
derived  his  information  "  for  the  most  part  nevertheless 
out  of  Master  John  Hooker's  Catalogue  of  tie  Bishops 
of  Exeter!' 

Subsequent  writers  appear  to  have  adopted  this  list, 
either  in  its  integrity  or  with  certain  omissions,  but  no 
additions  have  been  made  to  it,  excepting  that  the  Rev. 
Peter  Heylin,  Prebendary  of  Winchester,  has  placed  at 
its  head,  "  S.  Patroc,"  with  a  note  that  "he  lived  circa 
an.  850";1  an  anachronism  which  has  justly  drawn  down 
upon  him  the  sharp  rebuke  of  Dr.Whitaker.  The  latter 
writer  has  scrutinized  this  list  with  his  characteristic 
acumen  and  unsparing  severity.  He  admits  Nos.  1,  2, 
6,  11,  and  12,  for  the  reasons  we  have  submitted, 
although  we  must  reject  No.  1,  whose  appointment  even 
Dr.Whitaker  treats  as  a  usurpation.  As  to  all  the  others, 
he  appears  to  be  entirely  sceptical ;  and  until  there  be 
some  better  evidence  for  them  than  the  reference  to 
"  Master  John  Hooker  s  Catalogue"  of  which  we  believe 
nothing  is  known,  we  apprehend  that  most  persons  will 
agree  in  thinking  that  they  are  entitled  to  no  serious 
consideration. 

We  ought  here  to  notice  that  Dr.  Whitaker,  with  a 
great  display  of  learning,  presents  to  us  the  names  of 
several  personages  who,  he  contends,  were  bishops  of 
Cornwall  whilst  it  remained  under  British  rule ;  "  un 
rolling  to  us,"  he  says,  "  a  record  which  has  hitherto 
been  almost  as  much  unopened  as  the  roll  of  destiny 

1  Are  we  to  understand  by  this  name,  St.  Patrick,  the  Irish  saint,  who  is  said 
to  have  visited  Cornwall  in  the  fifth  century;  or  St.  Petrock,  the  Welsh  saint, 
who  visited  this  county,  according  to  Leland,  and  died  there,  in  the  sixth  cen 
tury?  It  should  seem  as  if  the  name  had  been  constructed  as  a  kind  of  "  mezzo 
termine"  to  suit  either  saint,  as  circumstances  might  demand.  Nevertheless 
we  do  find  "  Petrochus"  spelt  sometimes  "  Patrochus  ";  and,  if  we  could  believe 
that  Heylin's  figures  had  been  accidentally  transposed  from  508,  the  date  would 
not  be  far  wrong  to  suit  the  Cambrian  saint. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  19 

itself."  He  supposes  the  Cornish  Britons  to  have  had  a 
bishop's  see  at  St.  Germans,  which  subsisted  until  the 
final  subjugation  of  Cornwall  under  King  ^Ethelstan. 
The  Anglo-Saxon  bishops,  who  succeeded  from  that  time, 
were  in  his  view,  in  continuation  only  of  the  British  pre 
lates  ;  the  Saxon  episcopate  being  established  in  substi 
tution,  as  it  were,  of  the  existing  see  of  British  founda 
tion.  This  view  is,  however,  purely  conjectural,  and  un 
supported  by  any  positive  evidence ;  nor  is  it  necessary 
that  we  should  here  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  it,  as 
it  does  not  strictly  fall  within  the  scope  of  this  inquiry. 

We  believe  we  have  now  exhausted  all  the  sources  of 
information  to  which  writers  on  this  subject  have  had 
access ;  and  we  perceive  the  scantiness  of  the  result. 
Nor  is  it  surprising  that  what  the  historian,  who  lived 
but  shortly  after  the  event,  should  have  declared  his  in 
ability  to  furnish,  other  investigators,  after  the  lapse  of 
many  centuries,  should  have  failed  to  ascertain.  In  the 
state  of  uncertainty  in  which  we  have  thus  been  left, 
with  regard  to  the  personages  who  occupied  the  Cornish 
see,  it  has  happened  within  our  own  day,  that  a  docu 
ment  of  great  interest  has  been  unexpectedly  discovered, 
which  has  brought  to  our  aid  a  considerable  accession  of 
information.  This  document,  now  placed  in  the  British 
Museum,1  is  an  ancient  copy  of  the  Gospels,  apparently 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  age.  On  its  margins  and  vacant 
spaces  there  will  be  found  registered,  transactions  pur 
porting,  in  most  instances,  to  have  taken  place  "  at  the 
altar  of  St.  Petroclc"  which,  from  some  of  the  entries, 
appears  to  have  been  within  a  conventual  minster,  or 
church,  and  at  or  near  to  Bodmin.  The  obvious  and 
almost  certain  conclusion  is,  that  this  "  altar  of  Saint 
Petrock  "  must  have  been  at  the  well-known  monastery 

1  Add.  MS.  9381. 


20  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

of  that  name,  at  Bodmin.     The  transactions  thus  re 
corded  consist  of  the  manumissions  of  serfs,  which,  for 
greater  solemnity  and  notoriety,  were  usually  made  in  a 
church  or  other  public  place.1   Indeed  the  most  ordinary 
contracts  of  sale  and  purchase,  or  exchange,  were  re 
quired,  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  laws,  to  be  made  in  the 
most  open  and  notorious  manner,  in  the  presence  of 
some  ecclesiastical  or  civil  functionary,  or  of  several  wit 
nesses.     Serfdom,  as  it  existed  in  this  country  and  in 
other  parts  of  Europe,  during  the  medieval  period,  is  a 
subject  which  remains  involved  in  considerable  obscu 
rity,  notwithstanding  that  it  has  undergone  the  inves 
tigation  of  writers  of  the  highest  repute.     We  know, 
however,  that  the  influences  of  the  Church  were  at  all 
times  exerted  in  lightening  the  burdens  and  obtaining 
the  freedom  of  the  slave.     The  liberating  of  the  sons  of 
toil  from  the  fetters  of  bondage,  and  such  like  merito 
rious  acts,  were,  we  may  believe,  enjoined  by  the  clergy 
on  their  flocks,  as  works  of  piety  well  calculated  to  con 
ciliate  the  Divine  favour,  and  to  promote  the  salvation, 
either  of  him  who  performed  them,   or  of  the  person 
to  whose  eternal  welfare  they  were  specially  dedicated. 
Interesting  as  are  these  records  of  the  emancipation  of 
serfs  at  St.  Petrock's,  and  which  now  for  the  first  time 
have  been  brought  to  light,  it  is  proper  to  observe  that 
other  similar  records  are  known  to  exist ;  and  the  con 
formity  of  the  entries  in  the  Bodmin  book  of  the  Gospels 
with  such  as  have  been  found  elsewhere,  affords  some 
proof  of  their  genuineness.    The  practice  of  preserving  a 
testimony  of  such  acts  of  beneficence,  and  indeed  of  any 

1  "  Hip  man  hi/  mcen  an  piojrobe  jrneolj"  jejre,"  &c. 

"  If  any  one  give  freedom  to  his  man  at  the  altar,"  &c. — Laws  of  King  Wih- 
trced,  8.    Thorpe,  vol.  i. 

"  Qui  servum  suurn  liberat  in  ecclesia  vel  mercato  vel  comitatu  vel  hundreto 
coram  testibus  et  palam  faciat,"  &c. — Leges  R.  Hen.  7.,  78.    Thorpe,  vol.  i. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  21 

kind  of  events,  in  the  pages  of  the  sacred  volume,  appears 
to  have  prevailed  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  times ;  and  many 
"  a  family  Bible  "  at  this  day  will  furnish  evidence  that 
a  similar  practice  has  not  yet  ceased  to  exist.  It  fortu 
nately  happens  that  in  these  minutes  of  events  at  Saint 
Petrock's,  mention  is  sometimes  made  of  personages  dis 
tinguished  in  history,  who  are  stated  to  have  borne  a 
part  in  the  transactions  ;  and  we  are  thus  furnished  with 
a  clue  to  ascertain  the  dates  of  those  events.  The  names 
of  no  less  than  five  Saxon  monarchs  appear  in  these  re 
cords  :  King  Eadmund,  the  immediate  successor  of  King 
^Ethelstan,  who  was  the  acknowledged  conqueror  of 
Cornwall,  being  found  among  the  number ;  and,  what 
is  still  more  unexpected  and  surprising,  King  Eadmund, 
as  well  as  two  others  of  the  royal  personages,  are  them 
selves  among  the  persons  conferring  liberty  on  their 
slaves,  and  consequently  present  at  St.  Petrock's.  There 
is,  we  believe,  no  other  passage  of  history  which  furnishes 
authentic  testimony  of  the  presence  of  a  Saxon  sovereign 
in  Cornwall,  after  it  ceased  to  exist  as  an  independent 
territory.  But  what  it  more  immediately  concerns  us  to 
know  is,  that  we  likewise  find  mentioned  in  these  re 
cords  the  names  of  four  bishops,  namely,  ^Etlielyeard, 
Comoere,  Wulfsige,  and  Buruhwold,  who,  it  will  be  no 
unreasonable  presumption  to  suppose,  must  have  been 
bishops  of  the  Cornish  diocese.  The  first  three  names 
are  altogether  new  to  us,  and  they  will  all  become  the 
subject  of  our  investigation. 

We  may  here  observe,  that  the  recent  publication  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  Charters,  under  the  very  able  editorship 
of  Mr.  Kemble,1  has  also  brought  within  our  reach  the 
means  of  pursuing  the  inquiry  in  a  much  more  exact  and 

1  "  Codex  diplomaticus  o?vi  Saxonici  opera  Johannis  M.  Kemble." — Published 
by  ihe  Historical  Society. 


22  THE   EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

rigorous  manner  than  was  practicable  before;  and,  at 
the  same  time,  has  furnished  important  aid  in  testing  the 
accuracy  and  fixing  the  dates  of  these  manumissions. 
The  service  which  this  publication  has  rendered  to  us  in 
the  previous  investigation,  will  have  been  manifest ;  but 
we  acknowledge  some  disappointment  that  we  have  not 
succeeded  in  gathering  from  the  Charters  that  confirma 
tory  proof  of  the  names  of  these  new  prelates  which  we 
anticipated.  Considering  the  very  great  number  of  public 
and  private  documents  contained  in  the  collection — most 
of  which  are  attested  by  a  long  array  of  witnesses,  among 
whom  the  episcopal  body  are  most  conspicuous,  and 
sometimes  with  the  designation  of  their  sees — it  might 
have  been  expected  that  we  should  meet  with  the  names 
of  the  three  Cornish  bishops  now  first  brought  to  light. 
But  we  cannot  say  with  absolute  certainty  that  we  can 
point  them  out;  nevertheless  this  failure  ought  not  to 
create  surprise,  for  in  fact,  if  any  of  these  new  names 
could  have  been  distinguished  with  certainty  in  the 
Charters,  that  would  have  been  done  before  the  discovery 
of  the  St.Petrock  record;  and,  even  if  the  names  of  these 
new  bishops  had  been  entirely  wanting  in  the  numerous 
attestations  of  the  Charters,  that  circumstance  may  have 
arisen  from  the  remoteness  of  the  Cornish  see,  which 
could  give  but  few  opportunities  for  its  prelates  to  be 
present  at  the  royal  court. 

We  shall  proceed,  in  the  succeeding  chapter,  to  sub 
mit  the  substance  of  this  newly  acquired  evidence,  ex 
plaining  its  nature,  and  applying  it,  so  far  as  it  is  in  our 
power,  to  the  purposes  of  our  inquiry. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Evidence  derived  from  the  Manumissions  recorded  in  the  Bodmin  book  of  the 
Gospels — Table  comparing  it  with  the  evidence  of  the  Charters — Bishops 
2Ethcl[geard],  Comoere,  Wulfsige,  in  the  time  of  Duke  Ordgar — JEthelstan 
— Account  of  Duke  Ordgar — The  story  of  Eadgar  and  JElfry  tha  from  Geoffrey 
Gaimar's  Chronicle — Bishops  jEthelred — Buruhwold,  in  the  time  of  Duke 
-ZEthelvvserd,  and  Abbat  Germanus — An  account  of  this  Duke  and  of  the 
Abbat — These  Bishops  not  Chorepiscopi,  as  supposed. 

IN  submitting  the  additional  information  to  be  derived 
from  the  Saint  Petrock  record,  so  as  to  exhibit  it  in  its 
clearest  and  most  intelligible  light,  we  have  thought  it 
preferable  to  reduce  it  into  a  tabular  form,  placing,  side  by 
side,  such  comparative  testimonies  from  the  Charters,  as 
may  serve  to  confirm  its  correctness,  or  to  elucidate  its 
import.  It  will  be  necessary,  at  the  same  time,  to  intro 
duce  the  names  of  those  bishops  whose  claims  to  be 
placed  on  the  list  have  been  already  established.  In 
pursuing  this  part  of  the  subject,  we  shall  have  occasion 
to  touch,  incidentally,  on  some  points  of  history  which 
are  not  without  interest,  from  their  connection  with  per 
sons  and  things  which  will  be  brought  under  our  review; 
and  are  also  of  importance,  as  furnishing  additional  proof 
of  the  genuineness  and  credibility  of  the  Saint  Petrock 
record.  Indeed,  in  this  respect,  much  of  what  we  are 
now  about  to  adduce  might  have  been  stated  when  we 
previously  mentioned  that  document,  but  which,  to  avoid 
repetition,  we  have  deferred  to  this  chapter. 


24 


THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 


Comparative  Statement  of  the  Evidences  contained  in  the 
"  Codex  Petrociensis  "  and  the  "  Codex  Dipl." 


SOVEREIGNS 
and 
YEARS. 

MANUMISSIONS. 

CHARTERS. 

Bishops  named. 

Other  Personages 
named. 

Bishops  named. 

Other  Personages 
named. 

A.D. 

^Ithelstan,     925 

Abishop  Conan 

several    times 

named,    but 

without  men 

tion  of  his  see. 

Eadmund*     940 

Eadred,          946 

J3theL[geard]. 

.Eadwig,          955 

Eadgar,         959 

Cemoere, 

or 

Comoere. 

A.D. 

j-Ethelstan,  966 

Ordgar,  dux 

Domnonise. 

A.D.  966 

Eadward,        975 

Wulsie  .     .     . 

Ordgar  dux. 

(Ethelred,       978 

Ealdred,  993-7 

Grermanus.Kam  . 

Abb.  A.D.  993  ' 

^thelwerd 

^Ethelweard, 

dux. 

occidentalium 

Provinciarum 

dux.    A.D.  997 

Germanus,  Ceo- 

losigensis    ec- 

clesise  Abbas. 

A.D.  997. 

JSthelred,  1001 

Eadmund,  ")  1A1C 
Cnut,          ]  u 

Buruhwold.  . 

^thaelwserd 

Burhwold,1018 

dux,Germanus 

Harold     •)   lft  R 
Barefoot,  j   X 

Abbas. 

Harthacnut,  1039 

Eadward,      1042 

Harold,      •) 

Norman    V  1066 
Conquest,  ) 

1  The  Sovereigns  whose  names  are  in  italics  are  mentioned  in  the  Manu 
missions. 


NAMES    OF    THE    1HSI1OPS.  25 

To  understand  the  contents  of  the  preceding  synopsis, 
it  will  be  convenient  to  consider  each  bishop  separately, 
in  the  order  of  the  date. 

The  earliest  name  disclosed  to  us  by  the  Saint  Petrock 
record  is  that  of  Bishop  yEthel[geard].  The  entry  in  the 
Manumissions  may  be  thus  translated  : — 

"Wuenumon  and  her  offspring,  Moruith  her  sister, 
and  her  offspring,  and  Wurgustel,  and  his  offspring,  were 
freed  here  in  the  town,  for  King  Eadryde,  and  for  Bishop 
jEtheH\j/eard\  on  the  witness  of  the  brotherhood,  that 
here  are  in  the  town."1 

In  the  first  publication  of  the  Manumissions,  for  which 
we  are  indebted  to  the  late  President  of  the  Royal  Society, 
Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  this  name  appeared  as  "^Ethelgar." 
In  Mr.  Kemble's  Codex  it  is  written,  "  ^Ethel[geard]." 
It  is  true  that  there  was  a  Bishop  ^Ethelgar,  in  the  time 
of  King  Eadred,  but  he  presided  over  the  Crediton  see. 
If  this  be  the  person  named  in  the  entry,  we  must  sup 
pose,  either  that  it  was  a  casual  visit  of  the  Devonshire 
prelate,  or  that,  as  yet,  the  Cornish  episcopate  was  not 
established,  which  would  militate  against  any  previous 
Bishop  Conan. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  do  not  find,  in  the  Codex,  any 
such  name  as  Bishop  JEthel[geard]  about  the  time  of 
King  Eadred.  On  referring  to  the  MS.,  which,  as  we 
have  stated,  is  now  in  the  British  Museum,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  last  syllable  of  the  name  is  obliterated, 
except  that  portions  of  the  two  first  letters  are  visible. 
These  may  possibly  be  parts  of  the  letters  Mr.  Kemble 
supposes ;  at  all  events  we  defer  to  such  excellent  au- 

1  "  Wuenumon  and  hire  team,  Moruifc  hire  swuster  and  hire  team,  and  Wur 
gustel  and  his  team,  warun  gefreod  her  on  tune,  for  Eadryde  cynigc,  and  for 
jEthel***,  biscop,  an  <5as  hirydes  gewitnesse  $e  her  on  tune  syudun." — Cod. 
Dip.  vol.  iv.  312. 


26  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

thority,  and  adopt  his  reading.1  For  the  reasons  we 
have  previously  mentioned,  the  absence  of  this  bishop's 
name  in  the  Charters,  is  no  ground  for  doubting  the 
genuineness  of  the  entry. 

We  now  pass  to  the  two  bishops,  Comoere,  or  Cemoere, 
and  Wulfsige,  or  Wulsie,  both  contemporary  with  King 
Eadgar. 

The  first  will  be  found  named,  on  three  occasions,  in 
the  Manumissions,  twice  spelt  "  Comoere,"  and  once 
"  Cemoere";  but  this  slight  difference  in  the  orthography 
is  scarcely  a  sufficient  ground  for  doubting  that  they  re 
late  to  the  same  person.  We  give  a  translation  of  one  of 
the  entries,  which  fixes  the  reign. 

"  This  is  the  name  of  the  man  whom  Osferth  freed,  for 
the  soul  of  King  Eadgar,  Gurheter,  upon  the  altar  of 
Saint  Petrock  ;  before  these  witnesses  —  Comoere  ',  bishop; 
Agustinus,  lector;2  Byrhsie,  priest."3 

We  have  not  found  this  bishop's  name  in  the  Charters. 

There  are  no  less  than  eight  entries  in  the  St.  Petrock 
record,  in  which  Bishop  Wulfsige,  or  Wulsie,  is  referred 
to.  The  "f"  in  the  first  syllable,  and  the  "g"  in  the 
last,  being  sometimes  wanting,  which  is  often  found  to 
occur  in  the  orthography  of  this  name.  Four  of  these 
entries  refer  to  King  Eadgar,  and  one  to  Duke  Ordgar, 
and  determine  the  date  of  his  episcopacy.  We  give  two 
of  the  entries. 

"  Wulfsie,  bishop,  freed  JEdoc,  daughter  of  Catgustel, 


1  The  name,  as  it  now  appears  in  the  MS.,  seems  to  be  " 

2  Lectojx  ir  jisebejie  J>e  jiseb  on  Eobej-  cyncan-  -j  bits  J?septo  jehabob  f  he 
bobije  Irobej-  pojab." 

"  Lector  is  the  reader  who  reads  in  God's  church,  and  is  ordained  for  the 
purpose  of  preaching  God's  word."  —  Canons  of  JElfrict  12.    Thorpe,  vol.  ii. 

3  "  Hoc  est  nomen  illius  hominis,  quern  liberauit  OsferS,  pro  anima  Eadgari 
regis,  Gurheter,  super  altare  sancti  Petroci  ;  corarn  istis  testibus,  Comoere,  epis- 
copus,  Agustinus,  Lector,  Byrhsie  sacerdos."  —  Cod.  Dip.  vol.  iv.  315. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  27 

for  his  soul,  and  for  Eadgar  the  king's,  upon  the  altar  of 
Saint  Petrock." 

"  This  is  the  name  of  the  woman,  Wencenethel,  whom 
Duke  Orel  gar  freed  for  his  soul,  upon  the  altar  of 
Saint  Petrock,  before  these  witnesses —  Wulfsige^  bishop ; 
Leumarh,  presbyter;  Grifiuth,  presbyter;  Morhaitho, 
deacon." x 

We  have  already  pointed  out  that  it  appears  from  a 
single  entry  found  in  the  Charters,  that  there  was  a 
bishop  of  Cornwall,  of  the  name  of  ^Ethelstan,  A.D.  966, 
about  the  middle  of  the  reign  of  King  Eadgar ;  we  have, 
therefore,  to  determine  to  what  portion  of  his  reign  we 
ought  to  assign  Comoere  and  Wulfsige,  consistently  with 
that  fact.  A  Bishop  Wulfsige  will  be  found  named  in 
the  Charters,  in  great  frequency,  both  before  and  after 
966,  but  without  mention  of  any  see ;  and  it  is  possible 
that  in  some  of  these  instances  the  Cornish  prelate  may 
be  intended.  The  name  itself  is  a  very  common  one ;  a 
remark  which  equally  applies  to  ./Ethelstan,  and  renders 
it  impossible  to  arrive  at  any  conclusion  whatever  re 
specting  the  commencement  and  duration  of  his  epis 
copacy,  from  anything  which  the  Charters  disclose :  two 
bishops,  and  even  three,  of  the  name  of  ^Ethelstan,  being 
sometimes  found  in  the  same  document.2  A  diversity  of 

1  "  Wulfsio  episcopus  liberauit  ^Edoc,  fliam  Catgustcl,  pro  anima  sua,  et 
Eaclgari  regis,  super  nltare  Saucti  Petroci." 

"  Hoc  est  nomen  illius  mulicris,  WenceneSel,  quam  liberauit  Ordgar  dux,  pro 
anima  sua,  super  altare  Petroci  sancti ;  coram  istis  testibus/Wulfsige,  episcopus; 
Leumarh,  presbyter;  Grifiuft,  presbyter;  MorhaiSo,  diaconus." — Cod.  Dip. 
vol.  iv.  315,  310. 

2  In  one  instance  they  are  united  by  a  curious  formula — 

"  Nos  tres  uniformi  proprio  .^Elfstani  appellative  vocitamine  episcopi  consig- 
navimus. — Ego  Byrhthelm  geminique  .ZEthelwoldi  episcopi  consensimus  et  con- 
scripsimus." — Cod.  Dip.  No.  584. 

This  entry  confirms  Mr.  Kemble's  opinion,  that  the  signatories  did  not  ac 
tually  write  their  names.  The  three  TEthelstans  referred  to,  appear,  from  other 
entries,  to  have  been  the  Bishops  of  London,  Rochester,  and  Wilton  ;  the  latter 
being  the  Corvinensian  see  of  Florence,  erroneously  taken  for  Cornwall. 


28  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL, 

orthography  adds  to  this  uncertainty.1  In  some  instances 
the  bishoprick  is  named,  in  others  not ;  we  may,  therefore, 
suppose  it  possible  that  when  not  named,  the  Bishop  of 
Cornwall  may  be  sometimes  referred  to.  In  the  absence 
of  any  positive  data  to  guide  us,  it  seems  to  us  we  shall 
make  a  more  even  distribution  by  supposing  JEthels tan's 
episcopacy  to  have  intervened  between  those  of  the  other 
two;  and  as  Wulfsige's  presidency  appears,  from  the 
number  of  times  he  is  mentioned  in  the  Manumissions, 
to  have  been  a  long  one,  there  will  be  a  greater  interval 
for  him  between  ^Ethelstan  and  Ealdred  than  before 
^Ethelstan.  We  propose,  therefore,  to  adopt  this  order, 
though  we  must  acknowledge  that  the  grounds  for  so 
doing  are  but  slight.2 

It  will  have  been  observed,  that  in  one  of  the  extracts 
above  quoted,  in  connection  with  Bishop  Wulfsige,  it  is 
recorded  that  Duke  Ordgar  conferred  freedom  on  his 
female  serf,  Wencenethel,  at  Saint  Petrock's  altar ;  while 
the  other  extract  proves  this  bishop  to  have  been  cotem- 
porary  with  King  Eadgar.  It  seems  to  us  that  it  would 
be  superfluous  fastidiousness  to  doubt  that  this  Ordgar 
was  the  personage  well  known  in  history  as  the  father- 
in-law  of  the  King.  He  was  the  Duke,  as  it  was  termed 
in  the  Latin  equivalent,  but  in  Anglo-Saxon,  the  Eal- 
dorman  or  Eorl  of  Devonshire  ;3  and  his  connection  with 
that  shire  satisfactorily  accounts  for  his  presence  at  so 

.    1  The  name  appears  to  be  spelt  "  JEthelstan,"  or  "^Elfstan,"  indifferently. 

2  In  the  darkness  which  envelops  the  rejected  portion  of  Bishop  Godwine's 
list,  the  only  gleam  of  light  visible  is,  that  next  to  this  JEthelstan  he  places 
"Wolfi."  Now,  if  we  could  suppose  that  the  "/"  had  been  inserted  by  mistake 
for  "/"  (these  two  letters  in  Anglo-Saxon  being  liable  to  this  error),  it  would 
bring  this  entry  into  harmony  with  our  own  list. 

3  Under  the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  government  of  the  shire  or  county  was  en 
trusted  to  the  "  Eorl,"  in  Latin  "  Dux,"  or  "  Comes,"  but  in  process  of  time  his 
duties  devolved  on  his  deputy,  that  is,  the  shire-reeve,  sheriff,  or  vice-comes,  who 
exercises  many  of  them  at  this  day. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BTSHOPS.  29 

distant  a  spot  as  the  monastery  of  Saint  Petrock  in  Corn 
wall.  Ordgar  is  also  known  as  the  founder  of  Tavistock 
Abbey,  and  the  father  of  Ordulph,  distinguished  by  his 
gigantic  stature  and  proportionate  strength.1  But  who 
has  not  heard  the  romantic  tale  of  Eadgar  and  the  fair 
^Elfrytha?  The  fame  of  this  lady's  beauty  had  been 
every  where  circulated,  and  having  reached  the  ears  of 
the  King,  induced  him  to  despatch  his  chosen  friend 
^Ethehvold,  Duke  of  East  Anglia,2  on  a  visit  to  /Elfrytha, 
that,  if  her  appearance  were  such  as  rumour  represented, 
he  might  make  her  his  queen.  The  treachery  of  the  con 
fidant;  the  deception  he  practised  on  his  royal  master,  to 
secure  the  lady  for  himself;  the  subsequent  discovery  of 
his  fraud  ;  the  expiation  of  his  guilt,  by  his  death ;  and, 
finally,  the  marriage  of  the  King  with  Ordgar's  daughter, 
are  well  known  to  every  reader  of  English  history.  The 

1  William  of  Malmesbury  informs  us,  that  they  were  both  buried  at  Tavis 
tock.    He  describes  this  place  in  somewhat  glowing  terms : — "  Est  in  Domnonia 
coonobium  monachorum,  juxta  Tau  fluvium,  quod  Tauistok  vocatur  ;    quod  per 
Ordgarum,  comitem  Domnoniensem,  patrem  Elfrid®,  quae  fuit  uxor  regis  Ed- 
gari,  surgendi  exordium,  pcrLivingum  episcopum,  crescendi  accepit  auspicium  ; 
locus,  amsenus  opport imitate  nemorum,  captura  copiosa  piscium,  Ecclesias  con- 
gruente  fabrica,  fluvialibus  rivis  per  oflicinas  monachorum  decurrentibus,  qui  suo 
inipetu  effusi,  quidquid  invenerint  superfluum,  portant  in  exitum."    The  waters 
of  the  river  conducted  through  the  offices  of  the  establishment  serve  to  remind 
us  of  Mr.  Beckford's  account  of  the  luxuries  of  the  monastery  of  Alcobaga,  in 
Spain.     The  fish,  it  seems,  could  have  been  added  to  make  the  parallel  com 
plete. — William  of  Malmesbury  recounts  some  amusing  anecdotes  concerning 
Ordulph,  such  as  that  when  travelling  with  King  Eadward,  and  reaching  Exeter, 
they  found  the  city  gates  fastened,  and  the  porter  absent ;  upon  which,  Ordulph 
seizing  the  outside  bar,  with  both  hands,  broke  it  in  pieces,  tearing  down  with 
it  a  portion  of  the  wall.     Then  being  somewhat  heated  and  irritated  by  the  effort 
(calefactus  et  secum  infrendens),  he  made  another  attempt  and  burst  open  the 
gates  with  his  foot.    The  King  jocularly  attributed  the  feat  to  diabolic  aid.  We 
are  also  told,  that  it  was  usual  with  him,  when  he  sought  diversion,  to  stand  with 
one  foot  on  either  side  of  a  river,  ten  feet  wide,  and  with  the  seemingly  insig 
nificant  blows  of  a  small  knife,  to  strike  off  into  the  stream,  the  heads  of  such 
wild  animals  as  were  driven  to  him. — De  Gest.  Pont.  lib.  ii. 

2  Florence  of  Worcester  styles  him  "  gloriosus  dux  orientalium  Anglorum." 
An.  964. 


30  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

incidents  of  this  tale  are  portrayed  with  much  minute 
ness,  and  some  graphic  colouring,  in  the  Metrical  Chro 
nicle  of  Geoffrey  Gaimar,  written  in  Norman  French, 
about  a  century  after  the  Conquest ;  and  as  the  scene  is 
there  laid  in  great  part  in  Devonshire,  and  the  story  is 
intimately  connected  with  the  personages  now  under  our 
consideration,  we  may  be  excused  if  we  shortly  advert  to 
the  rude  lay  of  this  minstrel  historian :  always  bearing 
in  mind  that  Gainiar's  statements,  when  unconfirmed  by 
other  authorities,  are  not  entitled  to  be  received  with  all 
the  confidence  of  authentic  history. 

He  introduces  Ordgar  to  us  as  a  person  of  so  great 
wealth,  that  from  Exeter  to  Erome,  there  was  not  a  town 
or  city  of  which  he  was  not  the  owner.  His  only  child, 
"  Alftrued,"1  is  described  as  everywhere  renowned  for  her 
surpassing  beauty ;  and,  moreover,  exercising  great  in 
fluence  over  her  now  aged  parent.  The  lady's  fame 
reaches  King  Eadgar,  and  excited  by  the  representation  of 
her  personal  charms,  he  reasons  with  himself,  that  he  could 
make  her  his  consort  without  being  guilty  of  indiscretion, 
notwithstanding  that  she  was  only  a  baron's  daughter. 
Her  father,  he  says,  was  son  to  an  earl,  and  her  mother 
of  gentle  birth.  Her  ancestry  would  admit  of  his  being 
allied  to  her  without  disgrace.  Calling  to  him  "Edil- 
wolt,"  who  is  described  as  very  dear  to  him,  Eadgar 
unbosoms  himself  to  his  friend  and  counsellor ;  informs 
him  of  his  purpose,  and,  relying  on  his  integrity,  com 
missions  him  to  visit  the  lady,  and  to  ascertain  if  her 
beauty  justified  the  common  report. 

"  «  Edilwolt  frere '  dit  li  rei, 
e  Jo  te  direi  de  mon  secrei, 
Jo  aim  Estrueth,  la  fille  Orgar ; 
A  tote  gent  1'ai  oi  si  loer, 

1  "Nul  altre  enfant  n'en  ert  remes."     As  Ordgar  was  father  of  Ordulph,  we 
must  understand  Gaimar  to  mean  that  he  had  no  other  child  by  her  mother. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  31 

*  Et  do  bcalte*  si  preiscr, 
Fairo  en  voldreie  ma  mulher, 
Si  tel  estait,  ct  jol  scuse, 
Et  de  sa  bealte  a  sur  fusse, 
Pur  co  ti  pri,  va  la  veer : 
Ko  k'cn  dirras,  tendrai  pur  vair. 
Jo  te  crci  rault,  fai  mun  afairc, 
No  scjurner,  mcs  tost  rcpaire.'  " 

^Ethelwold  sets  out  on  his  mission,  and  tarries  not 
until  he  reaches  Ordgar's  mansion,  in  Devonshire,  where 
he  finds  the  lady  and  her  sire  engaged  in  playing  at 
chess  :  a  game  which  Ordgar  is  said  to  have  learnt  from 
the  Danes.1  The  personal  attractions  of  the  lady  are 
then  dwelt  upon,  and  fascinated  by  their  influence, 
^Ethelwold  forms  the  traitorous  resolve  of  reporting  her 
to  the  King,  as  a  person  of  ordinary  appearance.  Three 
years  elapse,  when  ./Ethelwold,  presenting  himself  to  his 
sovereign,  at  a  time  when  he  was  holding  a  great  National 
Council,  entreats  his  permission  to  make  Ordgar's  daugh 
ter  his  bride.  Falling  on  his  knees  before  his  master,  he 
represents  the  lady  in  an  unfavourable  light,  and  as  one 
unworthy  of  the  royal  notice,  although  suitable  to  a  per 
son  of  his  own  degree.  The  courtiers,  who  are  in  his 
interest,  second  his  request.  His  prayer  is  granted,  and 
the  King,  presenting  him  with  a  ring,  the  other  swears 
fealty  to  his  sovereign  master,  and,  as  the  Chronicle  ob 
serves,  perjures  himself  on  the  spot.  His  marriage  with 
/Elfrytha  then  follows.  It  happened,  not  long  after 
wards,  that,  at  a  banquet,  the  King  again  hears  ./Elfrytha's 
beauty  and  mental  endowments  universally  extolled ;  and 
the  conversation  runs,  that,  had  she  been  single,  she 
would  have  been  worthy  to  be  made  queen.  Eadgar's 
suspicion  is  excited,  and  he  is  convinced  within  himself 
that  yEthelwold  has  betrayed  him. 

1  We  do  not  know  if  this  account  of  the  introduction  of  Chess  into  England 
is  accepted  by  those  who  have  written  the  history  of  tliis  game. 


32  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

Upon  this  the  King  plans  an  excursion  into  Devonshire, 
under  the  pretence  of  hunting  deer.  The  lady  is  residing 
at  a  mansion  near  the  woods,  where  the  King  purposed 
to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  the  chase.1  To  this  mansion 
the  King  repairs  at  nightfall,  when  the  fatigues  of  the 
day  are  over.  He  inquires  for  the  lady  and  her  sire, 
and  is  ushered  into  "the  soler,"  or  upper  room,  where, 
in  the  midst  of  a  numerous  bevy  of  dames  and  damsels, 
he  at  once  recognises  ^Elfrytha  by  her  superior  beauty.  A 
banquet  follows ;  golden  goblets  and  buffalos'  horns 
flow  with  wine;  the  "wassail"  cup  goes  round,  and  the 
evening  is  spent  in  joyous  festivity. 

That  night,  as  the  King  lies  at  rest,  his  thoughts  are 
on  ^Elfrytha,  whose  equal  he  had  never  seen.  His  heart 
tells  him,  that  without  her  he  should  die,  and  he  gives 
way  to  evil  imaginings.  After  a  few  days  he  leaves,  and 
^Elfrytha  seems  to  have  been  made  aware  of  the  King's 
partiality.  A  royal  court  is  shortly  afterwards  held  at 
Salisbury,  and  the  great  barons  are  summoned  to  attend. 
^Ethelwold  is  among  their  number,  and  the  King  sends 
him  to  York  on  public  business  ;  and  "Dom  Edelwold" 
departs.  In  no  long  time,  intelligence  arrives  of  his 
having  been  waylaid  and  slain.2 

JElfrytha's  presence  at  the  royal  court  is  now  required 
by  Eadgar,  and  she  hastens  to  repair  to  it.  The  monarch 
is  stated  to  be  in  Gloucestershire,  and  with  him  the 

1  The  red  deer  have  scarcely  yet  disappeared  from  the  wild  tracts  of  Exmoor, 
in  the  north  of  Devon. 

2  This  account  of  .ZEthel wold's  death  does  not  agree  with  William  of  Malmes- 
bury's,  who  tells  us  that  the  King,  on  discovering  his  treachery,  sent  for  him  into 
a  wood  at  Warewelle,  called  Harewood,  under  pretence  of  hunting,  and  slew 
him  on  the  spot.   The  name  has  given  occasion  to  the  assertion  that  ^Ifrytha's 
residence  was  Harewood,  in  Cornwall,  a  beautiful  spot  in  one  of  the  reaches  of 
the  Tamar ;  but  William  of  Malmesbury  says  expressly  it  was  at  Warewelle, 
which  is  well  known  to  be  Whorwell,  Hants,  where  ^Elfrytha  afterwards  founded 
a  monastery. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  33 

Welsh  kings  and  many  a  knight.  ^Elfrytha  is  attended 
at  court  by  a  train  of  nobles ;  the  barons  of  Somerset, 
of  Devon,  and  Dorset,  and  the  earls  of  Cornwall,1  accom 
pany  her.  The  Chronicle  has  not  omitted  to  inform  us, 
even  of  the  lady's  costume,  the  mysteries  of  which  we 
shall  not  venture  to  unravel,  but  submit  the  original 
passage,  that  the  reader  may  learn  how  a  Devonshire  lady 
composed  her  toilet  in  the  year  of  Grace  965  : — 

"  Ke  dirraie  de  son  conrei  ? 
Un  anelet  out  en  son  del, 
Ki  plus  valeit,  tut  singlement 
Ke  ne  fireint  li  vestement. 
Une  chape  out  de  neire  suale, 
Ki  li  trainat  en  la  sale. 
De  suz  aveit  un  mantelet, 
Dedanz  de  gris,  defers  d'owet. 
De  altre  tel  paille  ert  son  blialt : 
Trop  ert  bele  de  co  ki  chald." 

The  result  may  be  anticipated;  ^Elfrytha  became 
Eadgar's  Queen,  and  her  fortunes  for  ever  associated  with 
the  history  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  monarchs.  But  on  the 
memory  of  this  Devonshire  beauty  there  rests  a  dark 
shadow.  Her  name  has  descended  to  us  in  the  page  of 
history,  stained  with  the  suspicion  of  crime.  On  the 
decease  of  her  royal  consort,  the  crown  was  placed,  in 
opposition  to  her  wishes,  on  the  head  of  her  stepson 
Eadward ;  and  scarcely  three  years  did  he  wield  the 
scepter,  before  his  reign  was  suddenly  cut  short.  As  he 
sat  on  horseback  at  ^Elfrytha's  door,  partaking  of  her 
proffered  hospitality,  he  received  a  mortal  blow  from  an 
unseen  hand;  and,  presently  afterwards,  ^Elfrytha's  youth 
ful  son  ^Ethelred  ascended  the  vacant  throne.  The  feeble 
and  troubled  reign  of  this  prince  was  thought  to  indicate 

1  This  must  have  been  a  poetical  flourish  of  Gaimar's.  There  could  hardly 
have  been  more  than  one  Eorl  of  Cornwall :  Gaimar,  as  a  Norman,  was  pro 
bably  not  very  well  informed  upon  points  of  Anglo-Saxon  civil  government. 

D 


34  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

the  divine  displeasure  ;  and  at  his  death  the  scepter  of 
his  kingdom  may  be  said,  for  a  while,  to  have  departed 
from  his  house.  It  is  told  of  JElfrytha,  that,  conscience- 
stricken  and  penitent,  she  founded  the  nunnery  at  Whor- 
well,  and  voluntarily  submitted  herself  to  various  kinds 
of  penance. 

The  date  of  the  King's  marriage  with  JElfrytha  is 
preserved  to  us  in  the  following  passage  of  the  Saxon 
Chronicle  :  — 

"  An.  965.  In  this  year  King  Eadgar  took  ^Elfythe  for 
his  Queen;  she  was  Ordgar's  daughter  the  Ealdorman's."1 

According  to  Gaimar,  it  must  have  been  about  four 
years  antecedently  to  the  marriage  that  ^Ethelwold  had 
the  first  interview  with  Ordgar  ;  we  have  not,  however, 
been  able  to  find  the  name  of  Duke  Ordgar  in  the  Char 
ters,  until  the  year  A.D.  964  ;  after  which  period  it  will 
be  often  found  to  occur.  That  it  relates  to  the  personage 
under  consideration  is  clear,  from  a  Charter  of  King 
Eadgar,  dated  A.D.  966,  in  which  he  describes  himself, 
thus  :  — 

"  I,  Ordgar,  Duke  of  Domnonia,  have  signed/'2  — 
"Domnonia"  being  the  Latin  name  then  used  to  signify 
the  county  of  Devon.3  In  Eadgar  's  Charters  we  first 
find  the  signature  of  his  Queen  J^lfrytha  in  966,  after 
which  it  occurs  very  frequently.  The  signatures  of  Duke 
Ordgar  may  be  traced  in  the  Codex  down  to  the  year 
970,  after  which  the  name  altogether  disappears,  except 
that  it  is  found  once  again  in  a  Charter,  A.D.  978  ;  but 
as  the  Charter  professes  to  be  King  Eadgar's,  who  died 
three  years  before,  the  authority  of  this  document  is 


1  "-An.  DCCCCLXV.  ftej^  on  pijyum  £ea^e  Gab^aja  cyninj  ^enam 
him  tro  cpene.  heo  pee]"  (D/ibsa/ie)"  bohtoji  Balbojiniannq-." 

2  "Ego  Ordgarus  dux  Domnoniae  consignavi."  —  Cod,  Dip.,  No.  520. 

3  -  "  in  Domnonia,  quse  Devenescire  dicitur,  et  in  Cornubia,  qu»  nunc 
Cornuguallia  dicitur."  —  William  of  Malrnesbury,  Gest.  Reg.  lib.  i.  cap.  6. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  35 

evidently  not  trustworthy.  Gaimar  represents  the  duke 
to  be  a  very  old  person,  when  first  visited  by  ./Ethelwold, 
and,  according  to  Florence  of  Worcester,  he  died  about 
A.D.  971 ;  and  he  adds,  that  he  was  buried  at  Exeter.1 
If  we  are  correct  in  placing  Wulfsie's  episcopacy  after 
^Ethelstan's,  Ordgar's  manumission  of  Wencenethel,  at 
St.Petrock's,must  have  taken  place  between  the  years  966 
and  971 ;  and  Wulfsie's  manumission  of  ^Edoc,  between 
the  years  966  and  975 — the  end  of  Eadgar's  reign. 

We  have  already  mentioned,  that  the  Charters  disclose 
to  us  that  there  was  a  Bishop  of  Cornwall  of  the  name 
of  Ealdred,  at  the  period  of  A.D.  99 3-7. 2  In  a  Charter 
of  King  ^Ethelred,  dated  1001,  we  shall  also  find  the  fol 
lowing  signature : — 

"  I,  yEthelred,  bishop  of  the  Cornish  Church/'3 

There  is  often  exercised  so  much  latitude  in  the  or 
thography  of  Anglo-Saxon  proper  names,  that  we  are  not 
satisfied  that  this  signature  does  not  belong  to  Ealdred. 
In  the  absence,  however,  of  any  proof  of  this  fact,  we 
feel  it  incumbent  to  treat  it  as  belonging  to  a  distinct 
personage. 

We  now  come  to  the  episcopacy  of  Bishop  Buruhwold, 
usually  considered  the  last  on  the  list.  We  have  testi 
mony  of  this  prelate,  both  in  the  Manumissions  and  the 
Charters.  In  the  former,  we  find  it  thus  recorded  : — 

"  And  afterwards  came  Duke  JEthaelwserd  to  the 
monastery  of  Saint  Petrock,  and  freed  her  (^Elfgyth),  for 
his  soul,  upon  the  altar  of  Saint  Petrock,  before  these 

1  "  DCCCCLXXI.  Clito  Eadumndus,  regis  Eadgari  filius,  obiit  et  in  Monas- 
terio  Kumcsige  honorifice  est  scpultus.   Eodem  anno  Alfeagus,  Suthantuneusiuru 
dux,  obiit  et  Glastonia?  tumulatus  est.     Non  multo  post  Ordgarus,  dux  Doin- 
nanicc,  socer  Regis  Eadgari,  decessit  et  in  Exanceastre  sepultus  est." — Floreii. 
Wig.  Chron.     William  of  Malrnesbury  states  Tamstock  to  be  the  place  of  his 
sepulture. 

2  See  page  14. 

3  "  Ego  wEthclred  Cornubicnsis  cecclesise  episcopus. — "No  70G. 


36  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

witnesses — 'Buruhwold,  bishop ;  Germanus,  abbat ;  Titt- 
herd,  presbiter,"  &c.  [Here  follow  other  names.]1 

We  have  already  shown  that  there  was  a  Bishop  of 
Cornwall  of  the  name  of  Burhwold,  A.D.  1018;  and  we 
have  referred  to  the  Charter  of  King  Cnut,  by  which 
lands  were  granted  to  him.2  The  Codex  will  not,  how 
ever,  throw  any  additional  light  on  this  prelate.  It  is 
true,  this  name  will  be  often  found  among  the  signatures 
of  the  bishops  about  that  period;  but,  as  it  is  known  that 
there  were  then  several  contemporaries  of  the  name,  we 
have  no  assurance  that  any  of  these  entries  relate  to  the 
Bishop  of  Cornwall. 

But  how  are  we  to  be  sure  that  Bishop  Buruhwold,  of 
the  Manumissions,  is  identical  with  Burhwold,  named  in 
King  Cnut's  Charter  ?  This  fact  is  placed  beyond  doubt 
by  the  circumstance,  that  the  manumission  which  the 
bishop  witnessed,  was  the  act  of  Duke  ^Ethselwaerd,  and 
was  witnessed  also  by  Abbat  Germanus ;  while,  in  an 
other  entry,  we  find  the  same  duke  witnessing  a  similar 
act  of  King  .^Ethelrsed. 

"  This  is  the  name  of  the  man,  Iliuth,  with  his  off 
spring,  whom  King  ^Ethelraed  freed  upon  the  altar  of 
Saint  Petrock  before  these  witnesses — ^Ethelwerd,  Duke, 
witness  ;  Osolf,  prepositus,  witness,"  &c.  [Here  follow 
other  names.]3 

1  Et  postea  venit  JEthaelwserd  dux,  ad  monasterium  Sancti  Petroci,  et  liberauit 
earn  pro  anirna  sua,  super  altare  Sancti  Petroci ;  coram  istis  testibus  videntibus ; 
Burufavold,  lisceop ;  Germanus,  abbas;  Tittherd,  presbyter,"  &c. —  Cod.  Dip. 
vol.  iv.  311. 

This  entry,  of  which  a  portion  only  is  here  given,  is  one  of  great  interest ;  the 
scene  is  first  laid  at  "Lyscerruyt"  [Liskeard],  and  it  introduces  to  us  not  only 
Duke  JEtkelwcerd,  but  the  Lady  ^Ethcelfleed,  his  countess,  who  first  liberates  the 
slave,  "  super  cymbalum  Sancti  Petroci."  Was  not  this  the  "  banner"  of  Saint 
Petrock  ?  But  the  subject  demands  a  separate  consideration, 

2  See  page  13. 

3  "Hoc  est  nomen  illius  hommis,Iliu$,cum  semine  suo,  quern  liberauit  JEthel- 
rjed  rex,  super  altare  Sancti  [Petroci]  ;  coram  istis  testibus :  JEthelwerd  dux, 


NAMES  OF  THE  BISHOPS.  37 

As  this  King  died  but  two  years  before  the  date  of 
Cnut's  Charter,  and  Duke  ^Ethelweard  appears  from  the 
Manumissions  to  be  contemporary  both  with  him  and  a 
Bishop  Buruhwold,  we  may  well  presume  that  this  is  the 
same  prelate  as  is  mentioned  in  the  Charter  of  King  Cnut. 

In  further  confirmation  of  this  fact,  we  have  to  observe, 
that  the  names  both  of  the  Duke  and  of  Abbat  Germanus 
are  found  in  the  Codex,  contemporaneously  with  Bishop 
Burhwold.  It  is  clear  that  this  prelate  occupied  his  see 
in  the  year  1018.  Now,  both  in  that  year,  and  for  several 
years  previously  to  it,  we  shall  find  the  signatures  of  a 
Duke  ./Ethel wear d  occurring  in  the  Charters.  That  he  is 
the  personage  we  are  in  search  of,  we  may  be  assured  by 
the  description  he  gives  of  himself  in  a  Charter  of  King 
^Ethelred,  A.D.  997.1 

"  I,  ^Ethelweard,  Duke  of  the  western  provinces." 

The  scribe  who  prepared  this  document,  has  adopted 
a  similar  style  for  the  other  dukes  who  signed  it.  Thus 
we  have  the  Duke  of  the  Northumbrian  provinces,  also 
of  the  provinces  of  the  Wiccii,  &c.  To  the  same  Charter 
there  is  likewise  affixed  the  signature  of  "  Germanus/' 
described  as  "  Abbat  of  the  church  of  Cholsey."  No 
reasonable  doubt  can  be  entertained  that  by  the  "  western 
provinces,"  either  Cornwall  alone,  or  Cornwall  arid  Devon2 
together,  were  intended ;  and  we  may,  therefore,  conclude, 
with  the  greatest  probability,  that  this  Duke  /Ethel weard 
is  identical  with  the  one  named  in  the  Saint  Petrock 
Record.3 

testis ;  Osolf,  prepositus,  testis  ;  Mermen,  presbyter ;  Riol,  presbyter ;  Eet,  cleri- 
cus;  Lecem,  clericus  ;  Blefcros,  clericus." — Cod.Dip.loL  iv.  310. 

1  "Ego  jEtlielweard  occidentalium  Provinciarum  dux.     Ego  Leofwine  Wic- 
ciarum  Proviiiciaruna  dux,"  &c. — Cod.  Dip.  No.  698. 

2  See  note  next  page. 

3  There  is  preserved,  at  Exeter,  a  charter  of  King  Eadward,  A.D.  977,  con 
taining  a  grant  of  lands  to  Duke  ^Ethelweard,  which  \ve  shall  possibly  advert  to 
in  the  Appendix. 


38  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

But  who  was  this  duke,  and  can  anything  be  gathered 
from  history  respecting  him  ?  We  will  proceed  to  answer 
these  questions.  We  have  observed,  that  his  name  is 
found  in  King  Cnut's  Charter  of  1018,  and  in  others 
of  previous  date.  The  earliest  in  which  we  have  been 
able  to  trace  it,  is  one  of  A.D.  967.  After  which  time  it 
occurs,  with  more  or  less  frequency,  down  to  997 ;  in 
which  year,  as  we  have  already  noticed,  this  personage 
describes  himself  as  "Duke  of  the  western  provinces." 
From  this  date  there  is  an  interval,  in  which  the  signature 
is  wanting,  until  Cnut's  Charter  of  1018,  in  which  it 
appears  for  the  last  time.  The  period  between  967  and 
1018  is  fifty-one  years;  and,  although  very  long,  is, 
nevertheless,  not  so  long  as  to  be  incompatible  with 
the  supposition  that  all  the  entries  may  belong  to  one 
person.1 

On  turning  to  the  pages  of  the  Saxon  Chronicle,  we 
shall  find,  under  the  date  of  A.D.  994 — at  which  time  the 
Danes  were  making  great  ravages  in  many  parts  of  Eng 
land — that  King  ^Ethelred  had  recourse  to  the  unwise 
expedient  of  purchasing  the  forbearance  of  those  formi 
dable  enemies,  by  the  payment  of  a  large  sum  of  money ; 
and  we  are  told  that  the  King  sent  Bishop  ^Elfeah, 
and  jBMkelweatd  the  Ealdorman?  after  Anlaf,  the  Danish 

1  If  Duke  JEthelweard  of  967  was  the  same  person  as  the  duke  of  1018,  he 
could  not  have  been  Eorl  of  Devon,  for  JEthelmar  was  the  Devonshire  eorl  A.D. 
1013. — See  Appendix  No.  VII.,  for  the  Eorls  of  Devon.    Another  objection  to 
his  being  Eorl  of  Devon  arises  from  the  death  of  Eorl  Ordgar,  being  assigned  by 
Florence  to  the  year  971.    But,  should  we  reject  the  Charter  of  967,  we  shall  not 
find  Duke  -ZEthelweard  again  mentioned  until  a  Charter  of  A.D.  977  (No.  611), 
which  is  after  Ordgar's  death.     This  would  also  reduce  the  supposed  period 
of  yEthelweard's  dukedom  to  forty-one  years  instead  of  fifty-one.     It  is  some 
what  remarkable  that  we  nowhere  find  any  express  mention  made  of  an  Eorl  of 
Cornwall  antecedently  to  the  Conquest.     Unless  this  Duke  JEthelweard  were 
one,  we  dp  not  know  where  to  point  out  any  such  personage. 

2  "  Da  j~enbe  j~e  cymnje  cefcej\  Xnlajre  cynje,  -SSlpeah  b.  and  JEfcelpeajxb 

&c. — Sax.  Chron. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  39 

leader  ;  and  that  they  brought  him  to  the  King  at  Ando- 
ver  ;  and  "  Anlaf  made  a  covenant  with  him,  which  he 
fulfilled,  that  he  would  never  again  come  hostilely  to  the 
English  nation." 

Again,  in  the  same  authority,  under  the  date  of  1020, 
we  have  the  following  entry  :  —  "At  Easter  there  was  a 
great  Gemot  at  Cirencester.  Then  was  outlawed  ^Ethel- 
weard  the  Ealdorman,  and  Eadwig,  King  of  the  Churls."1 

The  proximity  of  the  dates  makes  it  not  improbable 
that  these  two  passages  of  the  Chronicle  apply  to  the 
same  person;  and  if  so,  they  may  be  fairly  taken  as 
equally  applying  to  the  Duke  /Ethelweard  named  in  the 
Charters  and  the  Manumissions  ;  and  they  consequently 
throw  some  light  on  that  personage.  Associated  with 
^Elfeah,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  he  was  intrusted  by  his 
Sovereign  with  the  important  duty  of  effecting  an  inter 
view  between  him  and  the  Danish  King,  who  was  then 
with  his  fleet  at  Southampton.  To  ensure  the  safety  of 
Anlaf,  hostages  were  delivered  to  the  ships.  The  meet 
ing  took  place  at  Andover,  and  the  treaty  was  con 
cluded,  by  which  a  stop  was  put  to  those  horrid  devas 
tations  which  caused  the  chronicler  to  observe  of  the 
Danes,  in  the  same  passage,  that  "they  wrought  the 
utmost  evil  that  ever  any  army  could  do,  by  burning 
and  plundering,  and  by  manslaying  ;  both  by  the  sea- 
coast,  and  among  the  East  Saxons,  and  in  the  land  of 
Kent,  and  in  Sussex,  and  in  Hampshire  ;  and  at  last  they 
took  to  themselves  horses,  and  rode  as  far  as  they  would  ; 
and  continued  doing  unspeakable  evil."  We  may  be 
certain,  from  yEthehveard  having  been  selected  by  the 
King,  on  this  important  occasion,  that  he  must  have  been 


j?a  on  Gannon  pcej  mycel  jemot:  oct  nynms-ceaytne  :  £a  ^eutla- 
n  ./Efcelpeanb  ealdonraan,  and  Ga^pis  ceonla  cyn^c."  —  Sax.  Chron. 


40  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

a  person  distinguished  by  his  ability  and  discretion,  no 
less  than  by  his  elevated  rank.  But,  notwithstanding 
this  confidence  placed  in  him  by  his  sovereign,  we  see 
that  about  twenty-six  years  afterwards,  this  nobleman 
was,  by  the  Saxon  Parliament,  solemnly  adjudged  an 
outlaw.  In  this  interval  a  great  revolution  had  been 
effected.  The  feeble  and  distracted  reign  of  ^Ethelred, 
the  son  of  ^Elfrytha,  had  been  brought  to  a  close  by  his 
death ;  and  the  Danish  usurper  Cnut  was  now  on  the 
throne.  What  the  offence  of  ^Ethelweard  was,  which 
occasioned  his  outlawry,  we  are  nowhere  informed;  it 
is  remarkable,  however,  that  in  the  Saxon  Chronicle  he 
is  coupled  in  the  same  sentence  with  Eadwig,  who  is 
described  as  "King  of  the  Churls,"  which  makes  it 
probable  that  their  offences  were  of  the  same  character. 
The  strange  term,  "ceopla  cynjc,"  "King  of  the  Churls," 
or,  as  Florence  calls  him,  "  rex  rusticorum,"  has  not  been 
explained  to  us.  It  should  seem,  from  the  appellation, 
that  this  Eadwig  was  a  sort  of  Wat  Tyler  of  that  day ; 
and  that  the  populace *  had  manifested  their  repugnance 
towards  the  Danish  intruder,  by  setting  up  this  person 
in  opposition  to  him.  Three  years  previously,  this  same 
Eadwig  had  been  commanded  by  King  Cnut  to  be  put 
to  death.2  Florence,  however,  informs  us,  that  he  after 
wards  made  his  peace  with  the  King;  which  seems  to 
account  for  the  capital  punishment  being  mitigated  to 

1  "  The  Churls  "  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  could  not  strictly  have  been  the  lowest 
orders  of  the  people ;  for  these  must  have  been  in  a  state  of  serfdom,  whilst  the 
churls  were  freemen.    The  term  seems  to  have  included  all  the  population, 
which  was  neither  noble  nor  enslaved.     In  this  view,  Eadwig' s  supporters  ap 
proached  rather  to  what  we  now  call  the  middle  class,  so  far  as  we  can  imagine 
such  a  class  to  have  existed  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  times.     If  we  adopt  Florence's 
version  of  "rustici,"  they  would  seem  to  mean  the  smaller  landowners. — See 
Mr.  Kemble's  valuable  note,  Sax.  in  Eng.  vol.  ii.  p.  234. 

2  A.  1017.   "Snb  Enur  cyninj  aplymbe  ut  Gabpij  sefcelins,  anb  eft  hine 
her  ojrjlean,  anb  Gabpi  ceojila  kyninj." — Sax.  Chron. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  41 

that  of  outlawry  and  banishment.1  The  Danish  Monarch, 
although  supported  by  a  strong  English  party,  did  not 
obtain  the  crown  without  encountering  a  powerful  oppo 
sition  ;  and  the  sentences  of  death  and  banishment  which 
were  passed  on  several  great  personages,  mark  the  ex 
treme  measures  the  King  thought  fit  to  resort  to,  either 
to  add  to  his  security,  or  to  gratify  his  revenge.  We  can 
hardly  doubt,  therefore,  that  ^Ethelweard's  crime,  what 
ever  it  was,  had  connection  with  the  political  disturbances 
of  the  time.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  we  do  not  find 
his  name  in  the  Charters  after  the  year  1018,  and  that 
the  sentence  of  outlawry  was  passed  in  1020.  The  last 
signature  is  in  a  royal  charter;  it  is,  therefore,  certain 
that  at  that  time  he  had  not  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
his  Sovereign. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  about  the  period 
now  under  our  consideration,  was  written  the  well-known 
Chronicle  which  bears  the  name  of  "jfithelweard"  The 
author  of  it  is  thought  to  be  the  "Ealdorman  ^Ethel- 
weard,"  to  whom  the  learned  Bishop  ^Elfric  addressed 
some  of  his  translations  from  the  Old  Testament,  and 
other  works.  In  the  Preface  to  his  Chronicle  he  describes 
himself  as  of  royal  lineage,  being  the  great-great-grand 
son  of  King  JEthelred,  the  brother  of  King  Alfred.2  It 
is  by  no  means  impossible  that  this  writer  may  be  the 
identical  ^Ethelweard  to  whom  our  attention  has  been 
directed ;  and  in  this  case  we  might  conceive  that  his  re 
lationship  to  the  excluded  family  had  induced  the  Danish 
Monarch  to  send  him  into  exile. 

1  "  ffnb  pe  beobaft  -f  pifce/ifacan  ~j  utlajan  Irobej-  •}  manna  oj:  eanbe  jepi- 
ran.  buton  hij  jebujan  -j  }>e  ^eonnoji  jebetran." — Enure]"  Domaf. 

"And  we  command  that  adversaries  and  outlaws  of  God  and  men  retire  from 
the  country,  unless  they  submit  and  the  more  earnestly  amend." — Thorpe's 
Ancient  Laws,  <$'c.t  vol.  i.  378. 

2  See  Preface  to  Hon.  Hist.  Brit.  p.  83. 


42  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

Among  the  persons  who  witnessed  Duke  ./Ethelweard's 
act  of  manumission,  at  Saint  Petrock,  there  was  "Abbat 
Germanus,"  whose  name,  as  we  have  already  noticed,  is 
found  in  the  Charter  of  A.D.  997,  wherein  he  is  described 
as  "Abbat  of  Cholsey."  :  Both  before  and  after  that 
date,  down  so  late  as  the  year  1019,  we  shall  find  this 
name  in  other  charters ;  but  in  the  earlier  one  of  993,2 
it  should  seem  to  apply  to  the  Abbat  of  Ramsay.  We 
cannot  be  sure  which  of  these  is  the  one  referred  to  in 
the  Saint  Petrock  record ;  but  as  the  Abbat  of  Cholsey 
approaches  nearest,  in  point  of  date,  to  the  time  of  Bishop 
Buruhwold,  we  give  the  preference  to  this  dignitary. 

From  the  evidences  which  we  have  submitted,  it  is 
pretty  certain  that  the  visit  of  ^Ethelweard  to  the  monas 
tery  of  Saint  Petrock,  in  the  time  of  Bishop  Buruhwold, 
a  record  of  which  has  been  preserved  in  the  Bodmin 
Book  of  the  Gospels,  must  have  taken  place  some  time 
between  the  years  1001  and  1020.  It  is  impossible  to 
fix  the  date  more  precisely,  unless  we  could  ascertain  the 
exact  time  of  Buruhwold's  appointment  to  his  see,  which 
we  have  no  means  of  doing. 

It  is  interesting  to  find  that  incidents,  such  as  those 
recorded  at  Saint  Petrock's,  however  trivial  in  themselves, 
supply  us  with  means  whereby  a  part  of  the  country  so 
remote,  and  so  little  frequented,  as  we  may  suppose  that 
monastery  to  have  been,  can  be  brought  into  immediate 
connection  with  personages  of  the  highest  rank  and  dis 
tinction  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  times.  It  is  a  result  we  were 
little  prepared  for ;  and,  but  for  the  unexpected  discovery 
of  this  ancient  record,  would  never  have  come  to  our 
knowledge.  It  is  evident  that  the  intercourse  then  main- 

1  "  Ego  G-ermanus  Ceolesigensis  secclesise  abbas."-Cod.  Dip.  No. 698.  Cholsey 
is  near  Wallingford,  in  Berks. 

2  "Ego  Gennanus  ram  abb." — No.  684, 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  43 

tairied  between  distant  parts  of  the  country,  must  have 
been  more  frequent  than  the  defective  means  of  inter 
communication  existing  at  that  time,  would  give  us 
reason  to  suppose.  In  that  early  age,  possibly,  the  calls 
of  business  were  not  so  engrossing,  nor  the  opportunities 
of  intellectual  pursuits  so  numerous,  as  not  to  leave 
ample  leisure,  even  to  royalty,  for  ordinary  amusements; 
among  which  travelling  may  have  held  the  first  place. 
The  reign  of  Eadgar  was  distinguished  for  its  tranquillity, 
which  won  for  him  the  epithet  of  "peaceful";  and  he  is 
represented  to  us  as  employing  much  of  his  time  in  jour 
neying  through  his  dominions.  He  is  even  said  to  have 
made  a  circuit  of  the  island,  by  water,  once  a  year.  This 
King,  it  appears,  was  a  visitor  at  Saint  Petrock's  ;  for  we 
learn  from  the  records,  that  he  emancipated  a  serf  at  the 
altar  of  the  saint.1  It  would  have  been  gratifying  to 
our  curiosity  to  know  on  what  occasion  this  happened. 
Although  we  may  be  disinclined  to  give  credit  to  all  that 
has  been  told  us  of  the  marriage  of  that  monarch  with 
the  fair  /Elfrytha,  we  cannot  doubt  the  truth  of  the  prin 
cipal  facts.  May  we  not  then  believe  that  it  was  during 
some  visit  of  the  King  to  the  mansion  of  that  lady's  sire, 
that  he  was  led  by  curiosity,  or  piety,  to  make  this  pil 
grimage  to  the  shrine  of  Saint  Petrock,  and  to  consecrate 
the  event  by  the  act  of  beneficence  which  we  there  find 
recorded?  We  do  not  know  in  what  part  of  Devonshire 
Ordgar's  mansion  lay ;  but  we  know  that  the  Abbey  of 
Tavistock  was  founded  by  him,  and  there  too,  it  has 

1  "Hoc  est  nomen  illius  [mulieris]  Anaguiftl,  quern  Eadgar  rex  liberauit, 
pro  anima  sua,  super  altare  Sancti  Petroci;  coram  istis  testibus  videntibus; 
Wulfsige  presbyter,  et  Grifiuft  presbyter,  et  Conredei  diaconus,  et  Byrehtsige 
clericus,  Selie  laicos." — Cod.  Dip.  vol.  iv.  312. 

"  This  is  the  name  of  the  woman  Anaguiftl,  whom  King  Eadgar  freed  for  his 
soul,  upon  the  altar  of  Saint  Petrock,  before  these  witnesses : — Wulfsige,  pres 
byter  ;  and  Grifiuth,  presbyter ;  and  Conredei,  deacon  j  and  Byrehtsige,  clerk  ; 
Selie,  layman." 


44  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

been  said,  Ordgar  was  interred.  This  spot  is  sufficiently 
near  to  have  permitted  from  it  a  visit  to  Saint  Petrock's, 
and  a  return,  within  the  limits  of  a  summer  day. 

From  the  preceding  pages  it  will  be  seen,  that  of  the 
four  bishops,  whose  names  are  disclosed  to  us  by  the 
records  in  the  Bodmin  Book  of  the  Gospels,  one  only, 
Bishop  Buruhwold,  can  be  verified  from  other  sources  of 
information.  It  has  consequently  been  suggested  by 
Dr.  Oliver,  in  his  valuable  Monasticon  Dioecesis  Exo- 
niensis,  that  they  may  have  been  bishops  of  other 
dioceses — which  it  would  be  difficult  to  believe,  but  on 
very  strong  grounds — or  else,  that  they  were  what  are 
called  "  Chorepiscopi,"  that  is,  a  sort  of  deputy  bishops, 
who  were  at  that  time  occasionally  appointed  in  the 
Church.  But  inasmuch  as  one  of  the  four  can  be  recog 
nised  as  a  regular  bishop,  it  would  be  illogical  to  suppose 
that  the  other  three  were  not  of  the  same  character ;  nor 
should  we  think  that  they  would  have  been  styled  Bishops, 
had  they  been  Chorepiscopi  only.  One  of  them,Wulfsie, 
is  himself,  in  several  instances,  the  person  manumitting. 
Now,  if  the  serfs  thus  receiving  freedom  were,  as  there  is 
reason  to  suppose,  "adscripti  gleba"  he  must  have  been 
exercising  the  right  of  a  landowner,  and  most  probably, 
in  respect  of  the  lands  connected  with  the  episcopate. 
But  we  hardly  see  how  a  mere  Chorepiscopus  could  be 
in  a  situation  to  exercise  such  a  right.  The  remoteness 
of  the  county  of  Cornwall  must  have  been  a  material 
obstacle  to  its  bishops  giving  their  attendance  at  Court ; 
and  the  absence  of  their  names  in  royal  charters — more 
especially  as  it  is  most  apparent  at  the  earlier  period  of 
the  episcopate — does  not  seem  so  remarkable  a  circum 
stance  as  to  create  a  doubt  of  these  personages  being 
regular  bishops. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Buruhwold  not  the  last  of  the  Cornish  Bishops,  as  usually  stated — Lyving  and 
Leofrick  to  be  considered  Bishops  of  this  see — An  account  of  Bishop  Lyving 
and  of  Bishop  Leofrick — His  Charter  or  Will — Termination  of  the  Cornish 
See,  A.D.  1050 — List  of  the  Cornish  Bishops,  with  the  authorities — The 
Crediton  Bishops — List  of  them  compiled  from  the  Charters — Observations 
thereon. 

IT  has  been  usual  to  consider  Buruhwold  as  the  last 
prelate  who  presided  over  the  Cornish  episcopate,  ante 
cedently  to  its  final  extinction ;  but  on  this  point  we  ap 
prehend  there  has  been  some  misconception.1  We  have 
already  cited 2  the  passage  of  William  of  Malmesbury,  in 
which  he  says,  that  Lyving,  Bishop  of  Crediton,  was 
on  terms  of  the  greatest  intimacy  and  influence  with 
King  Cnut,  and  acquired  so  much  favour  with  him,  that 
on  the  decease  of  his  uncle  Brithwold,  who  was  then 
Bishop  of  Cornwall,  he  united  both  bishopricks  under 
his  own  authority.  Now,  the  consolidation  of  the  two 
dioceses,  and  the  creation  of  a  new  episcopate,  with  its 
see  at  Exeter,  was  effected  by  a  charter  of  King  Ead- 
ward  the  Confessor,  A.D.  1050,  to  be  noticed  hereafter; 
and  Leofrick,  and  not  Lyving,  was  the  person  to  whom 
the  new  bishoprick  was  intrusted.  Indeed,  Lyving  died, 
as  appears  by  the  Saxon  CJironicle,  A.D.  1047,3  three 

1  See  Appendix  No.  IX.  The  inquisition,  mentioned  hereafter,  refers  to  him 
as  the  last  bishop.  2  See  page  13. 

3  The  MSS.  vary,  and  the  year  is  differently  stated  in  them,  as  1044,  1046, 
and  1047 ;  but  his  name  will  be  found  subscribed  to  a  charter,  A.D.  1045 
(No.  781)  ;  also  in  a  charter  (No.  1334),  as  "Lyfing,  bisceop  be  norfcan."  It 
is  not  dated,  but  Mr.  Kemble  has  affixed  the  date  of  1046.  The  Bodleian  MS. 
assigns  the  date  of  1046  to  the  appointment  of  Leofrick,  his  successor  in  the  see. 
Florence  of  Worcester  also  places  his  death  in  1046. 


46  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

years  before  this  event  took  place ;  and  it  has  conse 
quently  been  assumed  that  his  uncle  Buruhwold,  on 
whose  death  this  supposed  union  in  his  favour  was  to 
be  effected,  outlived  him,  and  thus  disappointed  his  ex 
pectation  of  enjoying  the  Cornish  in  addition  to  the 
Devon  bishoprick.1  It  appears  to  us  that  this  view  of 
the  matter  is  altogether  erroneous,  inasmuch  as  it  com 
pels  us  to  put  a  forced  construction  on  the  passage  of 
William  of  Malmesbury,  who  speaks  of  the  transaction 
as  something  which  actually  took  place,  and  not  as  a 
contemplated  arrangement,  which  circumstances  pre 
vented  being  carried  into  effect.  We  think  the  error 
has  arisen  from  the  confounding  of  two  things  entirely 
different :  namely,  the  union  of  both  bishopricks  in  the 
person  of  one  bishop,  and  the  consolidation  of  those 
bishopricks  into  one  new  episcopate.  In  the  former 
case,  both  bishopricks  would  remain  separate  and  dis 
tinct,  though  held  by  one  prelate ;  in  the  latter,  they 
would  cease  to  exist,  a  new  diocese,  comprising  the  other 
two,  being  substituted  in  their  place.  Now,  we  appre 
hend  that,  in  the  former  sense,  Lyving,  who,  besides 
being  Bishop  of  Crediton,  also  held  the  see  of  Worcester, 
was  actually  appointed  to  and  possessed  the  Cornish 
prelacy,  in  strict  accordance  with  the  statement  of  William 
of  Malmesbury,  and  that  he  enjoyed  it  until  his  death — 
the  Cornish  see,  as  an  independent  episcopate,  not  being 
extinguished  until  some  years  afterwards.  With  this  con 
struction,  not  only  is  the  literal  accuracy  of  this  author 
vindicated,  but  the  corresponding  statements  of  Florence 
of  Worcester  and  the  Saxon  CJtronide,  instead  of  being 
subjected  to  violence,  are  made  strictly  intelligible  in 
their  plain  and  obvious  sense. 

1  Whitaker's  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  vol.  ii.  p.  218. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  47 

Thus  the  former  authority  informs  us,  under  the  date 
of  A.D.  1046,  that— 

"Living,Bishop  of  the  Wiccii  (Worcester),  of  Domnania 
(Devonshire),  and  of  Cornwall,  died  on  Sunday,  the  10th 
of  the  calends  of  April ;  presently  after  whose  decease  the 
presidency  of  Crediton  and  Cornwall  was  given  to  the 
King's  Chancellor,  Leofrick,  a  Breton  ;  and  ^Eldred,  who 
was  first  a  Monk  of  Winchester,  and  afterwards  Abbat  of 
Tavistock,  undertook  the  pontificate  of  the  Wiccii/'1 

Again,  in  the  list  which  Florence  gives  us  of  the  Credi 
ton  bishops,  he  adds  this  memorandum  of  Lyving : — 

"  That,  on  the  death  of  his  uncle  Brithwold,  he  united, 
by  permission  of  King  Eadward,  the  Cornish  to  the 
Devon  episcopacy."' 

The  Saxon  Chronicle  is  still  more  explicit.  Under  the 
date  of  1047  it  is  stated,  that  in  that  year  died  Lyfing, 
whom  the  Chronicle  styles  the  "  wordsnotera,"  that  is, 
the  "word  wise,"  or  eloquent  bishop,  on  the  10th  of  the 
calends  of  April.  The  Chronicle  adds — 

"  He  had  three  bishopricks  :  one  in  Devonshire,  and  in 
Cornwall,  and  in  Worcester.  Then  Leofrick  succeeded 
to  Devonshire  and  Cornwall,  and  Bishop  Aldred  to 
Worcester."3 

We  have  no  more  reason  to  conclude,  from  the  language 
of  these  authorities,  that  the  Cornish  episcopate  had  been 

1  "  MXLVI.  Clemens  papa  CXLIII.  Livingus  "VViceiorum  Domnania)  et  Cor- 
nubise  presul  deciino  cal.  Aprilis  die  Dominica  obiit.     Cujus  post  decessum 
regis  cancellai'io  Leofrico,  Britouieo,  mox  Cridiatunensis,  et  Cornubiensis  datus 
est  pra3sulatus;  et  Aldredus,  qui  primo  monachal  Wiutoniensis,  post  abbas 
Tavistokensis,  extitit,  Wicciorum  poutificatum  suscepit." — Flor.  Wig. 

2  "  Hie  defuncto  Brihtwaldo,  suo  avunculo,  Cornubieusem  proesulatum,  rege 
Eadwardo   permittente,   Domnauieusi    coadunavit   episcopatui." — Flor.    Wig. 
Append. 

3  "  An.  MXLVII.     Jieji  jron^jrej^be  Lypnj  fe  popbpiotepa  b.    -x-   Kl. 
ffpji.  anb  be  licef'Oe    -in-  b.-pice,  an  on    Depena-fcijie,  an  on  Eonnpalon, 
an  on  pijnaceytrjie.     Da  penj  Leojrpic  to  Dejrena-jdjie  anb  Co  JCopnpalon, 
aub  Srojieb  b.  to  pyjpacej"cnc." — Sax.  Chron, 


48  THE   EPISCOPATE   OF    CORNWALL. 

then  extinguished  by  being  incorporated  with  Devon  into 
one  diocese,  than  to  suppose  that  the  diocese  of  Wor 
cester  had,  in  like  manner,  been  incorporated  with  the 
other  two. 

Upon  these  grounds  we  have  no  hesitation  in  adding 
Lyving  and  Leofrick  to  the  list  of  Cornish  bishops.  We 
do  not  know  when  the  former  was  appointed  to  Cornwall, 
but  we  learn  from  Florence,  in  the  passage  already  quoted, 
that  it  was  in  the  reign  of  King  Eadward,  that  is,  after 
the  8th  June,  1042,  and  his  death  is  variously  recorded 
1 044-7. *  The  expression  of  Florence,  that  he  joined  the 
Cornish  to  the  Devon  episcopacy,  by  permission  of  that 
King,  evidently  implies  that  it  was  in  fulfilment  of  Cnut's 
promise.  On  his  death,  Leofrick  must,  in  a  similar 
manner,  have  held  both  these  sees  as  distinct  bishopricks, 
until  their  extinction  by  the  creation  of  the  Exeter  dio 
cese  in  1050.  From  1042  to  1045,  we  find  in  the 
Charters  several  signatures  of  Lyving  as  Bishop  of  Cre- 
diton;  and  in  1049,  of  Leofrick,  as  bishop  of  the  same 
see.  It  is  true  neither  of  them  refers  to  the  Cornish  see  ; 
but  neither  does  Lyving  refer  to  that  of  Worcester,  which, 
we  know,  he  held  at  the  same  time. 

From  the  account  which  William  of  Malmesbury  has 
left  us  of  Bishop  Lyving,  he  appears  to  have  been  a  person 
of  great  distinction.  At  first  a  monk  at  Winchester,  he 
became  successively  Abbat  of  Tavistock,2  and  Bishop  of 
Crediton.  He  was  the  intimate  companion  of  King  Cnut 
in  his  continental  journeys ;  and  with  much  tact  and 
judgment  prepared  the  way  for  that  usurper's  reception 
on  his  return  to  England.  The  concentration  of  three 
episcopacies  in  his  person,  was  doubtless  the  reward  of 

1  See  note,  page  45. 

2  This  monastery  is  stated  by  William  of  Malmesbury  to  have  acquired  in 
creased  importance  under  Lyving. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  49 

his  services.  His  eloquence  is  referred  to  in  the  Saxon 
Chronicle.  But  William  of  Malmesbury  calls  him  an 
ambitious  and  headstrong  tyrant  in  the  administration 
of  the  ecclesiastical  laws ;  and  one  who  had  no  thought, 
but  on  every  occasion  to  have  his  own  will.  The  histo 
rian  adds : — 

"  We  have  heard  from  our  forefathers,  that  when  he 
breathed  his  last,  a  horrible  noise  was  heard  throughout 
the  whole  of  England,  so  that  it  was  taken  for  the  de 
struction  and  end  of  the  world." 

This  association  with  his  decease,  of  some  awful  but 
natural  phenomenon,  which  happened  then  to  occur,  is  a 
striking  proof  of  the  lofty  position  which  he  held  in  the 
estimation  of  mankind,  and  perhaps  of  the  general  fear 
which  his  character  inspired.1  He  is  stated  to  have  been 
buried  at  Tavistock. 

Leofrick,  his  successor  in  the  Cornish  and  Devon  sees, 
was  likewise  a  person  of  great  note.  The  Saxon  Chro 
nicle  styles  him  the  King's  Priest.  He  was  also  the  King's 
High  Chancellor.  By  birth  he  seems  to  have  been  a 
Breton ;  and  he  is  stated,  by  William  of  Malmesbury, 
to  have  acquired  the  reputation  of  a  great  and  learned 
person  among  the  people  of  Lorraine.  The  removal  of 
the  see  to  Exeter  was  the  act  of  this  bishop.2  The  mo 
nastery  of  Saint  Peter  in  that  city,  had  been  founded  so 
long  before  as  the  reign  of  King  JEthelstan ; 3  and  on 
the  transfer  of  the  see  thither,  Leofrick  is  stated  to  have 

1  Other  coincidences  of  a  similar  kind  are  recorded  in  history.    Of  course  we 
do  not  allude  to  the  great  event  commemorated  in  our  religion — 

"  Quando  Gtesu,  nelP  ultimo  lamento 

Schiuse  le  tombe,  e  le  montagne  scosse" — 

which  we  acknowledge  to  be  miraculous;  but  we  may  mention  that  the  last  mo 
ments,  both  of  Cromwell  and  Bonaparte,  were  signalised  by  a  tempest  of  extra 
ordinary  violence. 

2  William  of  Malmesbury  and  the  Bodleian  MS.   Appendix  No.  VI. 
Appendix  No.  I. 

E 


50  THE   EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

entirely  altered  the  constitution  of  the  monastery,  sub 
stituting  canons  for  monks,  and  introducing  rules  and 
regulations  for  their  government,  such  as  were  observed 
in  Lorraine.  It  has  been  remarked  that  he  appointed  a 
steward  to  supply  the  members  with  their  food  day  by 
day,  and  their  clothing  yearly. 

In  the  Bodleian  MS.  he  is  styled  the  King's  Chaplain, 
and  is  described  as  a  man  of  modest  life  and  conversation, 
who,  when  he  succeeded  to  his  see,  went  about  his  dio 
cese  studiously  preaching  the  word  of  God  to  the  people 
committed  to  him,  and  instructing  the  clergy  in  learning. 
It  is  added  that  he  built  churches  not  a  few,  and  vigor 
ously  administered  the  other  duties  of  his  office.  Among 
the  documents  of  the  Codex  Dip.  we  shall  find  a  charter 
or  will  of  this  prelate,  in  Anglo-Saxon,  the  contents  of 
which  are  of  some  interest :  it  is  without  date,  and  com 
mences  thus:1 — 

"Here  is  it  witnessed,  on  this  Christ's  book,2  what 
Leofrick,  the  Bishop,  hath  given  to  Saint  Peter's  Minster, 
at  Exanceaster,  where  his  bishop's  seat  is." 

It  should  seem,  from  what  follows  in  this  document, 
that  the  monastery,  when  Leofrick  succeeded  to  it,  had 
been  spoiled  of  many  of  its  possessions,  which  the  bishop 
declares  he  had  again  made  good,  "  by  God's  aid,  and  by 
his  own  intercession,  as  well  as  out  of  his  own  treasure." 

He  then  enumerates  the  restored  estates,  and  men 
tions  among  them  "  the  land  at  Toppeshamme,  notwith 
standing  that  Harold  had  wrongfully  taken  it  away." 

1  Appendix  No.  V.    Cod.  Dip.  No.  940. 

2  This  volume  of  the  Gospels,  with  the  document  referred  to  written  in  it,  is 
now  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  at  Oxford.   Two  memoranda  are  inserted  in  it,  tes 
tifying  that  it  was  Leofrick's  donation  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Peter,  at  Exeter. 
We  give  one : — "  Hunc  textum  dedit  Leofricus,  Gps  secclse  Sci  Petri,  apli  in 
Gxonia,  ad  utilitatem  suceessorum  suorum.     Si  quis  illam  abstulerit  a?terna3 
suiaceat:  malediction!.  Fiat,  Fiat,  Fiat.': — TJickes'  Thesaurus,  vol.ii. by  "Wanley, 
p.  81 . 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  51 

This  Harold  must  have  been  Eorl  Godwine's  son,1  who 
for  a  few  months  wore  the  crown  of  England,  until  his 
fall  at  the  battle  of  Hastings,  enabled  the  Norman  Con 
queror  to  place  it  on  his  own  brows.  The  Domesday 
Record,  compiled  at  the  instigation  of  the  new  dynasty, 
frequently  alludes  to  the  unlawful  abstraction  of  Church 
property  by  Earl  Harold,  whose  sovereignty  the  Nor 
mans  were  disinclined  to  acknowledge,  and  treated  as  a 
usurpation.2 

Next  in  order  the  bishop  details,  by  name,  the  estates 
with  which  he  had  himself  endowed  the  monastery,  "  for 
his  lord's  soul  and  for  his  own,  to  support  the  servants  of 
God,  who  for  their  souls  should  intercede." 

He  remarks,  that  when  he  succeeded  to  the  monastery, 
he  found  no  more  land  in  its  possession  than  two  hydes 
of  land  at  Ide ;  and  these  with  no  more  live  stock  upon 
them  than  seven  head  of  cattle.  He  then  proceeds  to 
make  known  what  further  gifts,  for  ecclesiastical  pur 
poses,  he  had  conferred  upon  the  minster.  All  these  are 
minutely  specified,  and  include  vestments  for  the  priest, 
articles  of  church  furniture,  and  vessels  for  its  services ; 
besides  crosiers  and  crosses,  caskets,  an  altar  of  ivory, 
cups  of  silver,  carpets  and  tapestry  coverings  for  the  altar 
and  throne ;  two  large  candlesticks  and  six  smaller,  all 
of  ivory ;  a  silver  censer,  with  silver  censer-sticks ;  a 
wain,  chests,  and  coffers :  and  he  observes,  "  Formerly 
there  were  but  seven  uphanging  bells ;  now  there  are 
thirteen  uphanging  and  twelve  hand  bells/'  The  former 
probably  were  church  bells,  which  not  long  before  had 
come  into  use.  Then  follows  a  list  of  the  books  he  had 
given  : — "Two  full  mass  books,  one  book  of  collects,  two 

1  Harold  succeeded  to  his  father's  eorldom  of  West  Saxony,  on  his  death, 
A.D.  1053.— Sec  Table  of 'Earls  of  Devon,  Appendix  No.  VII. 

2  Sir  II.  Ellis's  Introduction  to  Domesday,  vol.  i.  p.  31i  et  seq. 


52  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

books  of  the  epistles,  and  two  full  singing  books,  and 
one  even-song  book,  one  "  ad  te  levavi,"  one  "  tropere," 
and  two  psalters,  and  a  third  as  they  sang  at  Rome ;  two 
of  hymns,  and  one  dear-worth  blessing-book,  and  three 
others,  and  one  English  Christ's  book,  and  two  summer- 
reading  books,  and  one  winter-reading  book ;  a  book  of 
canons,  and  a  Martyrology,  and  one  canon  in  Latin,  and 
one  shrift-book  in  English,  and  one  full  book  of  homilies, 
winter  and  summer,  and  one  Boethius'  book,  in  English, 
and  one  great  English  book  with  every  thing  wrought 
poetry-ivise"  l  He  then  goes  on  to  say,  "  That  when  he 
took  to  the  monastery,  he  did  not  find  any  more  books 
than  one  capitulary,  and  one  very  old  night-song,  and 
one  Epistle-book,  and  two  very  old  reading  books,  of  no 
value,  and  one  worthless  priest's  dress."  He  then  enu 
merates  "  the  many  Latin  books  which  he  had  given  to 
the  minster,"  nearly  all  on  theological  and  ecclesiastical 
subjects,  which  are  of  interest,  as  representing  what  we 
may  fairly  conclude  was  a  somewhat  superior  library  of 
a  monastic  institution  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  times.2  The 
following  passage  then  succeeds  : — "And  after  his  day,  he 
gave  his  capella,  together  with  himself,  thither  to  be 
transferred,  and  with  all  things  pertaining  to  the  service 
of  God,  of  which  he  himself  was  the  author  (or  giver),3 

1  " —  be  jehwilcum  £>mgum  on  leofcpij-an  jepojihc."  This  volume  still  exists, 
though  damaged  and  imperfect,  in  the  possession  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter. 
The  rare  specimens  of  Anglo-Saxon  poetry  contained  in  it  have  recently  excited 
the  attention  of  the  learned,  and  portions  have  been  given  to  the  world,  with 
the  criticisms  of  some  of  our  ablest  Anglo-Saxon  scholars. 

2  See  Appendix  No.  V. 

3  We  give  this  passage  in  accordance  with  the  Latin  version  in  Dugdale's 
Monasticon,  which  was  supplied  by  the  learned  Anglo-Saxon  scholar, W.  Somner. 
It  is  as  follows  : — "  Concessit  suam  capellam  simul  cum  se  ipso  eo  transferen- 
dam  et  omnibus  ad  Dei  servitium  pertinentibus  quorum  ipse  author  (vel  dona- 
tor)  erat  ea  lege,"  &c.     The  Saxon  original  is  as  follows  : — "  And  ofer  his  dseg 

'he  ann  his  capellam  Siderbinnam  for<5  mid  himsilfum  on  eallum  tSani  Singum 
tSe  hesilf  dide  mid  Godes  jjeninge  on  Sset  gerad,"  &c.   The  sense  of  the  passage, 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  53 

on  the  condition  that  the  ministers  of  God,  who  should 
be  there,  should  ever  remember  his  soul,  with  their 
prayers  and  mass-songs,  to  Christ  and  to  Saint  Peter 
and  to  all  the  saints,  to  whom  that  holy  minster  was 
consecrated ;  that  his  soul  might  be  the  better  accepted 
by  God."  The  instrument  then  concludes  with  the  usual 
denunciation  : — "And  whosoever  shall  desire  this  gift  and 
this  donation,  to  take  away  from  God  and  Saint  Peter, 
may  heaven's  kingdom  be  taken  away  from  him,  and 
may  he  be  for  ever  condemned  to  hell  punishment." 

We  have  already  adverted  to  the  fact  that  the  Cornish 
episcopate  ceased  when  it  was  united  with  that  of  Devon, 
and  a  new  diocese  was  created  by  their  junction.  No 
question  has  been  raised  on  this  point.  The  circum 
stances  under  which  that  event  took  place,  were  attended 
with  great  pomp  and  ceremony,  and  are  detailed  in  a 
charter  of  KingEadward,  A.D.  1050,  which  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  refer  to  at  a  future  stage  of  our  inquiry.1 

We  have  now  submitted  what  we  believe  to  be  the 
substance  of  all  that  can  be  gathered  from  authentic 
sources,  respecting  the  names  of  the  several  persons  who 
occupied  the  see  of  Cornwall,  from  the  time  of  its  Anglo- 
Saxon  foundation  down  to  the  period  of  its  final  extinc 
tion  in  1050.  The  result  of  the  investigation  will  be 
better  understood  by  the  subjoined  list,  which  contains 
a  reference  to  the  authority  for  the  insertion  of  each 

which  is  not  very  clear,  seems  to  depend  on  the  meaning  of  the  word  "capetta" 
which,  besides  its  ordinary  one  of  "  a  chapel,"  was  sometimes  used  to  signify 
what  was  contained  in  it,  especially  the  relics  of  saints,  and  the  vessels  and  other 
articles  used  in  the  ministrations  of  the  priests.  "  Kex  Anglite  capellam  suarn 
id  est  omnia  ornamenta  sacerclotalia  pretiosissima  et  multa  alia  .  .  .  prater  reli- 
quias." — Matt.  Paris,  an.  1242.  "Capella,  id  est,  ecclesiasticum  ministerium," 
&c. — Eginhardus  in  J^tta  Caroli  M.  Du  Cange,  voce  "Capella."  See  also 
Dr.  Whitaker's  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  vol.  ii.  p.  288,  where,  for  another  pur 
pose,  he  has  investigated  the  meaning  of  this  word. 
1  Cod.  Dip.  No.  791.  Appendix  No.  IV. 


54 


THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 


name,  and  will  thus  afford  the  means  of  determining  the 
degree  of  credit  it  is  entitled  to.  We  believe  it  to  be  as 
full  and  accurate  a  list  of  the  Cornish  bishops  as  our 
present  state  of  knowledge  will  admit  of  being  exhibited. 
It  falls  short  of  the  total  number  (eleven)  mentioned  by 
Leland,  from  which  we  may  infer  a  deficiency  in  the  list, 
which  remains  to  be  supplied. 


A  List  of  the  Cornish  Bishops,  so  far  as  they  are  known. 


NAMES. 


DATES. 


AUTHOBITIES. 


1.  Conan  .     . 


2.  ^Ethel[geard] 

3.  Cemoere    .     . 

or 
Comoere. 

4.  JEthelstan     . 

5.  Wulfsige  .     . 

6.  Ealdred    .     . 
7. 


8.  Buruhwold    . 


9.  Lyving 


10.  Leofrick    . 


In  the  time  of  King  JEthelstan, 
925-940,  when  the  see  is 
thought  to  have  been  created. 


In  the   time  of  King  Eadred, 
946-955. 

In  the  time  of  King  Eadgar, 
959-975. 


Ditto 
Ditto 


In  the  time  of  King  JEthelred, 
978-1016. 


Ditto 

(Q,y.  the  same  person  as  the  last.) 

In  the  time  of  King  Cnut,  1016- 

1035. 

(He  died  in  the  reign  of  King 
Eadward.) 

In  the  time  of  King  Eadward. 

1042-1066. 
(He  died  1046.) 

Ditto 

He  succeeded  Lyving,  and  was 

translated  to  Exeter  when  that 

see  was  established,  A.D.  1050. 

(He  died  in  the  reign  of  Wm.  I., 

A.D.  1071.     Bodl.  MS.) 


Leland.  A  bishop  of  simi 
lar  name  will  be  found, 
at  this  period,  in  the 
Codex  Dip. 

Records  of  Saint  Petrock- 
stowe. 

Ditto. 


A  Charter,  dated  A.D.  966. 

Eecords  of  Saint  Petrock- 
stowe. 

Four  Charters,  dated  993- 
997. 

A  Charter,  dated  1001. 


Records  of  Saint  Petrock- 

stowe. 

A  Charter,  dated  1018. 
Flor.  of  Worcester. 
Wm.  of  Malmesbury. 

Flor.  of  Worcester. 
Wm.  of  Malmesbury. 
Saxon  Chronicle. 

Saxon  Chronicle. 
Flor.  of  Worcester. 
Wm.  of  Malmesbury. 
Bodl.  MS. 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS. 


55 


We  have  noticed  in  a  former  chapter,  that  Florence  of 
Worc$£ter  has  left  us  a  list  of  the  Crediton  bishops. 
This  list  we  have  thought  it  desirable  to  test  by  the  aid 
of  the  charters  in  the  Codex  Dip.;  and  we  are  gratified  in 
finding  the  result  to  be  satisfactory ;  in  fact  these  docu 
ments  furnish  us  with  a  series  of  the  Crediton  bishops 
almost  as  complete  as  that  of  Florence.  As  the  subject 
is  not  altogether  irrelevant  to  our  inquiry,  and  indeed  is 
capable  of  casting  a  reflected  light  upon  it,  we  subjoin 
the  names  of  the  bishops,  as  we  find  them  in  the  Codex, 
referring  to  the  several  documents,  where  they  are  to  be 
found,  with  their  dates,  and  placing  the  series  side  by  side 
with  that  given  by  Florence,  the  accuracy  of  which  it 
sustains.  The  list  given  by  Bishop  Godwine  will  be 
found  to  differ  from  it  very  materially,  both  in  names 
and  dates ;  but  it  would  lead  us  too  far  away  from  our 
subject  to  dwell  upon  the  points  of  variance. 

A  List  of  the  Crediton  Bishops. 


From  tho  i 
1.  Eadulphus 

Charters  in  the 
Charters  wher 
A.D.  933 

Codex  Dip. 
'in  they  are  named. 
No.  362.1 

From  Florenc 
1.  Eadulf. 

*e  of  Worcester. 

2.  JEthelgar  . 

3.  Alfwold3  . 
^Elfwold   . 

A.P.  935 
949 

A.D.  964 
966 

No.  1112. 
425. 

No.  1251. 
528. 

2.  ^tbelgar. 
3.  Alfwold. 

lie  succeeded 
Archbishop 
Duustan.2 

4.  Aluric  .     . 

A.D.  969 

No.  555. 

4.  Sideman. 

5.  Sideman.4  . 

(Died  977) 

Sax.  Chron. 
Flor.  ofWor. 

5.  Alfric. 

1  We  give  this  charter  in  the  Appendix  No.  XI.     Florence  of  Worcester  as 
signs  tho  date  of  A.D.  931  to  Eadulph's  death,  which  is  clearly  erroneous. 

2  This  is  an  error  of  Florence.    yEthelgar,  who  succeeded  Dunstan,  was 
another  personage :  Archbishop  Dunstan  died  988. — See  Sax.  Chron.   .^Ethelgar, 
Bishop  of  Crediton,  died  in  that  see  A.D.  953,  and  in  the  twenty-first  of  liis  pon 
tificate. — Flor.  of  Wor. 

3  lie  died  A.D.  972,  according  to  Florence ;    but  this  date  would  exclude 
Aluric,  unless  we  placed  him,  as  Florence  has  done,  after  Sideman,  rejecting  the 
evidence  of  the  charter,  for  which  there  seems  no  good  reason. 

4  This  person  is  probably  tho  same  mentioned  by  Florence,  as  appointed  Abbat 
of  tho  Exeter  Monastery,  A.D.  968.     Lyving  was  Abbat  of  Tavistock  when  he 


56 


THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 


A  List  of  the  Crediton  Bishops — (continued). 


From  the  Charters  in  the  Codex  Dip. 

From  Florenc 

Charters  wherein  they  are  named. 

6.  Alfwold  . 

A.D.  988 

No.  665. 

6.  Alfwold. 

Alfwold  . 

993 

684. 

^Elfwold  . 

995 

688. 

^Elfuuold 

995 

1289. 

^Elfuuold 

996 

1292. 

Alfwold  . 

997 

698. 

Alwoto    . 

1001 

706. 

7.  ^Elfeod   . 

A.D.  1004 

No.  709. 

7.  Alfwoldus. 

8.  Eadnoth  . 

A.D.  1015 

No.  1310. 

8.  Eadnoth. 

9.  Lyfingus  . 

A.D.  1042 
Several  others, 
the  last  1045.1 

No.  763. 
781. 

9.  Lyvingus. 

10.  Leofrick  . 

A.D.  1049 

No.  786. 

10.  Leofric. 

Before  we  dismiss  the  Crediton  Bishops,  we  are  de 
sirous  of  adding  some  few  remarks  upon  the  catalogue 
given  above,  to  obviate  the  possibility  of  misconception 
respecting  it. 

On  examining  the  contents  of  the  Codex,  the  signa 
ture  of  a  Crediton  bishop  will  be  found  in  a  charter 
of  so  early  a  date  as  that  of  Coenuulf,  King  of  Mercia, 
A.D.  811.  The  signature  is  : — 

"  I,  Eaduulf,  bishop  [of  Crediton],  have  consented  and 
subscribed/'2 


was  appointed  to  the  Crediton  see.  One  of  the  MSS.  of  Florence  states  that 
Sideman  succeeded  Alfuuold  A.D.  972,  and  that  Alfricus  succeeded  Sideman 
A.D.  977.  But  the  evidence  of  the  charter  No.  555  impugns  the  correctness  of 
these  statements,  and  will  probably  be  preferred.  A  Bishop  Syderr.an  will  be 
found  named  in  a  charter  of  966  (No.  518),  but  his  see  is  not  named ;  so,  too, 
in  967  (No.  536).  Were  there  two  Crediton  bishops  of  this  name? 

1  See  note  page  45. 

2  "Ego,  Eaduulfus  [Cridiatunensis],  cpiscopus  consensi  et  subscripsi." 


NAMES    OF    THE    BISHOPS.  57 

To  the  same  charter  is  likewise  appended  the  signature 
of  a  Bishop  of  Exeter,  thus  : — 

"  I,  Uuignoth,  Bishop  [of  Exeter],  have  consented  and 
subscribed."1 

The  glaring  anachronism  of  these  entries  is  manifest. 
The  Crediton  episcopacy  commenced,  as  we  have  seen, 
about  a  hundred  years  after  the  date  of  this  charter ; 
and  that  of  Exeter  nearly  two  centuries  and  a  half  after 
it ;  and,  indeed,  one  succeeded  the  other,  which  made  it 
impossible  that  they  could  be  contemporaneous.  This 
difficulty  is,  however,  easily  surmounted  ;  for  Mr.  Kemble 
informs  us  (in  a  note),  that  all  the  names  of  the  sees  are 
interpolated  throughout  the  charter,  by  being  written 
between  the  lines  ;  and,  he  adds,  "in  an  sequaeval  hand." 
But,  as  we  cannot  conceive  the  names  of  the  sees  to  have 
been  inserted  before  they  had  been  created,  we  must 
assign  the  interpolation,  if  not  the  transcription  of  the 
entire  document,  to  a  date  some  centuries  later  than  the 
one  it  bears. 

Bishop  Sideman  we  cannot  point  out  in  the  Charters 
with  any  certainty,  but  we  learn  from  the  Saxon  Chronicle 
that  he  died  Bishop  of  Devon,  A.D.  977.  The  passage  is 
as  follows : — 

"A.  977. — This  year  over  Easter  was  the  great  gemote 
at  Kyrtling-tun,  and  there  died  Bishop  Sideman  by  a 
sudden  death,  on  the  2nd  of  the  calends  of  May.  He 
was  bishop  in  Devonshire,  and  he  desired  that  the  resting- 
place  of  his  body  should  be  at  Crediton,  at  his  episcopal 
seat.  Then  commanded  King  Eadward  and  Archbishop 
Dunstan,  that  he  should  be  borne  to  Saint  Mary's  Minster, 
which  is  at  Abbendon ;  and  so  too  was  it  done ;  and  he 

1  "Ego,  Uuignothus  [Exoniensis],  episcopus  conscnsi  ct  subscripsi." — Cod. 
Dip.  No.  197. 


58  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

is,  moreover,  honorably  buried  on  the  north  side  in  St. 
Paul's  Chapel."1 

With  the  exception  of  this  bishop,  all  in  Florence's 
list  are  also  found  in  the  Codex.  It  will  be  seen  that 
Nos.  4  and  5  are  transposed  by  Florence,  Aluric  being 
the  same  name  as  Alfric.2  It  is  pretty  clear  that  Nos.  6 
and  7,  in  Florence's  list,  are  the  same  person ;  and  we 
presume  as  much  of  the  same  numbers  in  our  own,  the 
words  being  spelt  very  variously  in  the  Charters.  Indeed, 
No.  7  is  omitted  in  some  of  the  ancient  copies  of  Florence, 
and  wholly  omitted  in  William  of  Malmesbury,  whose 
catalogue,  in  every  other  respect,  is  coincident  with  that 
of  the  other  historian. 

We  shall  now  proceed,  in  the  following  chapter,  to  con 
sider  the  place  where  the  Cornish  bishops  had  their  seat : 
a  subject  which  has  given  rise,  as  already  mentioned,  to 
some  controversy. 

1  "An.  DCCCCLXXVII.    fteji  psej  J»*t  myccle  semdt  set  Kyjitlms-tune 
opeji  Gajtjion,  anb  Jjgeji  pojiSfejibe  Sibeman  bij~ceop  on  hpseblican  beacSe.  on 

•  11-  Jcal.  (IQai.  Se  psej  Depia-j'ci.ne  bij-ceop.  anb  he  pilnobe  )>set  hi/  lic-jisej~t 
fceolbe  beon  set  Ejubiantune  set  hip  bifceop-jrole.  Da  het  Gabpeajvb  cmj. 
anb  Dun/Can  ancebifceop,  ^set  hme  man  jrejiebe  to  Sea.  COanian  CDynjtjie, 
\&c  ij"  set  Sbbanbune ;  anb  man  eac  ]"pa  bybe.  anb  he  if  eac  ajipynSlice  be- 
byn^eb  on  fa  non^S-healpe  on  Scj".  Pauluj-  pontice." — Sax.  Chron. 

2  The  "  u"  must  be  read  as  "  v,"  and  that  as  equivalent  to  "f."   Alfred  the 
Great  sometimes  signs  his  name  "  Alured"  and  "  ^Elured." 


50 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Place  of  the  Cornish  See  according  to  modern  and  ancient  authorities — 
St.  Germans  or  St.  Petrock's — Dispute  as  to  the  site  of  the  latter — Whether 
Bodmin  or  Padstow — Proved  to  be  Bodmiri — Bodmin  Monastery  resting  on 
historic  testimony — That  at  Padstow  solely  on  conjecture — Evidences  in 
favour  of  each  view — Story  of  the  body  of  St.  Petrock  clandestinely  removed 
from  Bodmin  and  taken  to  France — Again  restored — Padstow  not  the  ancient 
name. 

CAMDEN,  and  our  earliest  county  historians,  Carew  and 
Norden,  speak  of  Saint  Petrock's  Monastery  at  Bodmin 
as  the  place  where  the  Cornish  bishops  had  their  seat ; 
and  they  inform  us  that  it  was  removed,  on  the  destruc 
tion  of  that  place  by  the  Danes,  to  Saint  Germans.  The 
learned  Dr.  Whitaker  has,  however,  written  a  voluminous 
work,  bearing  the  title  of  T/ie  Ancient  Cathedral  of  Corn- 
wall,  the  object  of  which  is  to  prove  that  it  was  never 
placed  at  Saint  Petrock's,  but  was  at  Saint  Germans  from 
the  first  creation  of  the  bishoprick  until  its  final  extinc 
tion,  by  being  united  with  that  of  Devon.  Whatever 
opinion  may  be  entertained  of  the  style  and  tone  in  which 
this  work  is  written,  it  is  impossible  not  to  bear  testimony 
to  the  multifarious  learning  and  great  research  which  dis 
tinguish  it,  as  well  as  to  the  singular  acumen  with  which 
the  author  deals  with  every  part  of  the  subject. 

To  enable  us  to  understand  this  disputed  question,  we 
must  direct  our  attention  to  the  various  authorities  which 
bear  upon  it,  and,  after  weighing  carefully  their  import, 
we  shall  be  better  prepared  to  determine  what  conclusion 
may  be  legitimately  drawn. 

The  almost  cotemporaneous  record  of  the  Saxon  Chro 
nicle  will  not  supply  us  with  any  information  for  our 


60  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

guidance ;  but  the  Chronicle  of  Florence  of  Worcester, 
written  shortly  after  the  termination  of  the  Cornish  epis 
copate,  contains  the  following  passage  : — 

"  The  Kings  of  the  West  Saxons  ruled  in  the  districts 
of  Wiltshire,  and  Berkshire,  and  Dorsetshire," — "  and  in 
Donmania,  which  is  called  Devonshire,  and  in  Cornubia, 
which  is  now  called  Cornwall — and  there  were  then  two 
bishopricks :  one  at  Crediton,  and  the  other  at  Saint 
Germanus;  now  there  is  one,  and  its  seat  is  at  Exeter."1 

The  Chronicles  of  William  of  Malmesbury,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  in  point  of  date,  shortly  afterwards 
succeeded  to  that  of  Florence ;  and  in  his  history  of  the 
Kings  of  England  we  find  a  passage,  in  language  identical 
with  that  just  extracted  from  Florence,  whose  text  has 
been  evidently  adopted  by  the  historian.2  But  in  another 
work,  by  the  same  author,  on  the  English  Prelates,  he 
states  the  fact  differently,  and  as  follows  : — 

"  The  episcopal  seat  was  at  Saint  Petrocus  the  Confes 
sor.  The  place  is  among  the  Northern  Britons,  upon  the 
sea,  near  a  river  which  is  called  Hegelmithe.  Some  say 
that  it  was  at  Saint  Germanus,  near  the  river  Liner,  upon 
the  sea  in  the  south."3 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  former  of  these  passages 
both  these  historians  agree  in  asserting  Saint  Germans 
to  have  been  the  seat  of  the  Episcopate  ;  but  in  the  latter, 

1  "  Eeges  West-Saxonum  dominabantur  in  Wiltescire  et  Berkescire  et  Dorset- 
ensi  pagis,  &c. — et  in  Domnania  quse  Devenescire  dicitur  et  in  Cornubia  quse 
mine  Cornugallia  dicitur :  erantque  tune  duo  episcopatus  unus  in  Cridetuna  et 
alter  apud  Sanctum  Germanum  nunc  est  unus  et  est  sedes  ejus  Exonise."    This 
passage  is  found  in  the  Appendix  to  Florence's  Chronicle.     It  exists  in  all  the 
ancient  MSS.,  and  no  doubt  has  been  expressed  of  its  genuineness. 

2  Gesta  Reg.  Angl.  lib.  i.  c.  6. 

3  Cornubiensium  sane  Pontificum  suceiduuin  ordinem  nee  scio  nee  appono 
nisi  quod  apud  Sanctum  Petrocum  confessorem  fuerit  episcopatus  sedes.  Locus 
est  apud  aquilonales  Brittones  supra  mare  juxta  flumen  quod  dicitur  Hegel 
mithe.     Quidani  dicunt  fuisse  ad  Sanctum  Germanu  juxta  flumen  Liner  supra 
mare  in  australi  parte." — De  Gest,  Pont.  lib.  ii. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  01 

the  historian  of  Malmcsbury  speaks  of  it  doubtingly,  and 
appears  to  incline  in  favour  of  Saint  Petrock.  It  happens, 
however,  somewhat  unfortunately,  that  at  the  very  thresh 
old  of  this  inquiry,  we  are  embarrassed  with  another 
disputed  question.  Where  are  we  to  find  Saint  Petrock? 
At  Boditdn,  or  at  Padstow  ?  It  will  be  necessary,  there 
fore,  to  consider  this  subordinate  question  before  we  can 
proceed  further  with  the  main  subject  of  our  inquiry. 

The  earliest  historic  notice  of  Saint  Petrockstowe  is, 
we  believe,  that  in  the  Saxon  Chronicle,  under  the  date  of 
A.D.  981.  It  is  as  follows:  — 

"  In  this  year  Saint  Petrock's-stowe  was  ravaged,  and 
that  same  year  was  much  harm  done  every  where,  by  the 
seacoast,  as  well  among  the  men  of  Devon  as  among  the 
Welsh."1  [Cornu-Welsh,  or  Cornish.] 

In  Florence  of  Worcester  we  find  the  same  fact  thus 
recorded  : — 

"  An.  981.— The  Monastery  of  Saint  Petrock  the  Con 
fessor,  in  Cornwall,  was  devastated  by  the  pirates,  who, 
in  the  preceding  year,  had  devastated  Southampton,  and 
afterwards  in  Devon,  and  even  in  Cornwall,  they  made 
frequent  spoil  along  the  seacoasts."2 

This  Saint  Petrock's-stowe  has  been  usually  accepted 
as  the  monastery  referred  to  by  William  of  Malmesbury 
in  the  passage  just  now  quoted  ;  and  our  historians  have 

1  "  An.  DCCCCLXXXI.     fteji  on  J?yj-  jeajie.  pa>j-  See  Petnocef  j-cop  pon- 
henjob.  anb  ]py  ilcan  jeane  pa?r  rmcel  heanm  jebon  jehpseji  be  |?am  fce-niman. 
8P3$en  30  on  Dejrenum,  ,je  on  pealurn." — Sax.  Chron. 

The  Anglo-Saxons  designated  the  native  Britons  by  the  term  "  Wealas,"  or 
Welsh,  that  is,  "foreigners."  Such  of  them  as  occupied  the  angle  of  Roman 
Damnonia,  they  called  the  "  Corn-wealas,"  that  is,  the  Cornu-Welsh,  or  Cornish  ; 
hence  "  Cornwall,"  i.  e.,  "  Coruu- Wales." 

2  "  DCCCCLXXXI.    Sancti  Petroci  confessoris  monasterium,  in  Cornubia,  de- 
vastatum  est  a  piratis,  qui  anno  preoterito  Suthamptoniam  devastarunt,   qui 
deinde  in  Domuania,  et  in  ipsa  Cornubia,  circa  ripas  maris  frequentes  prsedas 
agebant. — Flor.  Wig.  Chron. 


62  THE   EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

been  accustomed  to  identify  it  with  the  well-known 
monastery  of  that  name  at  Bodmin. 

More  recently,  however,  and  especially  since  Dr. 
Whitaker's  work,  doubts  have  been  entertained  of  the 
correctness  of  this  view;  and  it  is  now  not  unusual  to 
find,  even  in  works  of  great  authority,  that  Padstow  is 
referred  to  as  the  site  of  Saint  Petrock's.  It  seems  to  us 
that  these  doubts  rest  on  no  solid  foundaton,  and  that, 
until  we  have  more  cogent  evidence  than  is  now  in  our 
possession,  we  are  not  justified  in  departing  from  the 
opinions  of  our  early  county  historians. 

It  is  true  that  the  description  of  its  site,  given  by  the 
Malmesbury  historian,  would  seem,  on  a  cursory  view, 
to  indicate  Padstow;  but  when  attentively  considered,  it 
will  be  found  not  inapplicable  to  Bodmin,  where  a  monas 
tery  of  Saint  Petrock  is  known  to  have  existed.  Nor  did 
Camden,  or  the  other  historians  we  have  just  now  referred 
to,  express  so  much  as  the  slightest  doubt  or  suspicion 
on  this  point.  The  term  "  Northern  Britons  "  means,  of 
course,  the  Cornish-Britons,  dwelling  on  the  north  side 
of  the  county.  By  "  Hegelmithe"1  is  signified  "  Hayle- 
mouth,"  that  is,  the  estuary  of  the  Hayle,  by  which  name 
there  is  abundant  proof  that  the  Padstow  river  was 

1  The  Anglo-Saxon  "g"  was  generally  dropped  as  the  language  became  trans 
muted  into  modern  English.  "  Mithe,"  "  gemythe,"  or  "mutha,"  was  used  by 
the  Saxons,  not  only  for  the  mouth  of  a  river,  but  for  a  narrow  sea,  or  strait, 
and  for  an  estuary.  The  usual  name  of  the  Padstow  river  is  the  Alan,  Cam- 
alan,  or  Camel,  which  it  bore  in  Anglo-Saxon  times  ;  but  that  it  was  sometimes 
called  the  Hel,  or  Hayle,  we  have  possibly  some  evidence  in  the  manor  of  Hel- 
ston,  the  parishes  of  Helland,  and  Egloshayle,  all  on  its  banks,  and  Hel  bay  at 
its  mouth.  In  the  30th  Edw.  I.  proceedings  under  a  quo  warranto  were  taken 
against  the  Prior  of  Bodmin,  to  know  on  what  grounds  he  claimed  the  fishery 
in  the  "Waters  of  Aleyn  and  Eyle." — (See  Appendix  No.  X.)  "We  find  the 
same  appellation  applied  in  Cornwall  to  other  rivers,  as  at  Hayle  St.  Ives,  and 
the  Helford  river  near  Helston.  It  has  therefore  been  conjectured  that  it  is  con 
nected  with  the  Cornish  word  "  Halen,"  salt,  and  the  Greek  "A\£,  aAog,  either 
salt  or  the  sea.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  to  signify  either  a  river  which  flowed 
into  an  estuary  of  the  sea,  or  else  the  estuary  itself  where  the  salt  water  flowed, 


THE   PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  03 

sometimes  designated  in  remote  times.  It  flows  by  Bod- 
min  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile ;  and  the  estuary,  into 
which  it  pours  its  waters,  approaches  within  six  miles  of 
that  place.  The  expression  "  on  the  sea/'  it  must  be 
admitted,  is  somewhat  loose  for  an  inland  town  like  Bod- 
min ;  but  the  historian  uses  the  same  expression  for  Saint 
Germans,  which  also  is  some  miles  inland.  We  must 
bear  in  mind  that  he  was  not  defining  the  site  with 
geographical  precision,  but  indicating  only,  in  a  general 
way,  the  part  of  the  county  where  these  two  monasteries 
lay.  It  is  but  probable  that  the  defective  state  of  the 
roads  in  that  early  age,  made  internal  communication 
difficult,  and  gave  occasion  to  those  monastic  houses 
being  generally  visited  by  water.  It  would,  in  this  case, 
be  quite  natural,  that  the  historian  should  associate  them 
with  the  coast,  and  the  arm  of  the  sea  by  which  they 
were  approached. 

It  is  obvious,  then,  that  from  this  description  of  its 
site,  we  cannot  decide  between  the  rival  claims  of  Padstow 
and  Bodmin,  inasmuch  as  it  is  suitable  to  either  place. 
We  must  seek  a  solution  of  this  question  elsewhere.  The 
conclusion  we  have  come  to  in  favour  of  Bodmin  rests  on 
grounds  which  we  will  now  submit,  and  which  appear  to 
us  to  be  sustained  by  the  two  following  propositions : — 

1 .  That  the  existence  of  the  monastery  of  Saint  Petrock 
at  Bodmin  can  be  traced  back  with  almost  absolute  cer 
tainty  to  a  period  but  little  short  of  the  reign  of  King 
^Ethelstan,  when  the  Cornish  bishoprick  is  supposed  to 
have  originated ;  and  traditionally  even  to  a  much  higher 
date. 

2.  That  we  have  no  positive  proof  that  a  monastery 
of  Saint  Petrock  at  Padstow  ever  existed :  the  belief  in 
it  being   founded   on   nothing   more   than  a  plausible 
conjecture. 


64  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

In  treating  of  the  first  branch  of  this  subject,  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  offer  proofs  of  a  modern  date.  The 
existence  of  the  Bodrnin  monastery,  for  ages  antecedent 
to  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  when  it  shared  the  common 
fate  of  all  similar  institutions  in  this  country,  will,  we 
presume,  not  be  called  in  question.  We  propose  to  take 
it  up  at  the  Norman  Conquest,  or  rather  at  the  epoch  of 
the  Domesday  survey.  This  ancient  record  was  com 
pleted  A.D.  1086,1  twenty  years  after  the  Conquest;  and, 
on  referring  to  its  pages,  we  shall  find,  under  the  division 
of  "  Cornvalge,"2  or  Cornwall,  the  following  entry : — 

"  The  church  of  Saint  Petroc  holds  Bodmine.  There 
is  one  hide  of  land  which  was  never  taxed.  The  land  is 
four  carucates.  There  five  villani  have  two  ploughs  with 
six  bordarii.  There  are  thirty  acres  of  pasture,  and  six 
acres  of  small  wood.  There  Saint  Petroc  has  sixty-eight 
houses  and  one  market.  The  whole  is  worth  twenty- 
five  shillings/'3 

Immediately  afterwards  follows  a  list  of  the  other 
landed  possessions  of  Saint  Petrock  in  Cornwall,  at  the 
end  of  which  is  the  following  note  : — 

"  All  the  above-described  lands  Saint  Petroc  held  in 
the  time  of  King  Edward/'4 

In  the  Exeter  copy5  of  Domesday,  the  same  fact  is  re- 

1  Sir  H.  Ellis'  Introd.  to  Dom.  vol.  i.  p.  4. 

2  The  last  two  letters  appear  to  be  a  Norman  equivalent  for  "  le"  or  "ie." 
Observe  "Ecclesia  de  Labatailge,"  in  Domesday  for   Battle  Abbey.     In  the 
Exeter  copy  we  have  "  COENY  GallJE." 

3  Eccla  S.  Petroc  ten  Bodmine.   Ibi  e  una  hida  tra3  qua?  numq  geldau.  Tra  e 
IIII.  car.   Ibi  V.  viTli  hnt  II.  car  cu  VI.  bord.    Ibi  XXX.  ac  pasture  &  VI.  ac 
siluse  minutse.  Ibi  hit  S.  Petroc  LXVIII.  dom  &  un  mercatii.  Totu  valet  XXV. 
solid." 

4  "  Oms  supius  descriptas  tras  teneb  T.  E.  E.  Scs.  Petrocus." 

5  This  is  a  partial  copy  of  the  survey  preserved  at  Exeter,  and  relates  to  the 
five  western  counties.     It  is  more  detailed  than  the  National  Eecord  kept  at 
the  Exchequer,  and  is  thought  to  be  a  transcript  of  the  original  return  of  the 
Commissioners,  from  which  the  Exchequer  copy  for  that  part  of  the  kingdom 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  05 

corded  in  somewhat  different  terms,  which  we  therefore 
give  :- 

"  Saint  Petroc  has  one  manor,  which  is  called  Bodmine, 
which  the  same  saint  held  on  the  day  on  which  King 
Edward  was  alive  and  dead.1  In  it,  there  is  one  hide  of 
land,  which  at  no  time  paid  tax.  This  four  ploughs  can 
plough.  Upon  that  land  there  are  five  villani,  who  have 
two  ploughs,  and  six  bordarii,  and  five  acres  of  small 
wood,  and  thirty  acres  of  pasture,  and  in  the  same  manor 
Saint  Petroc  has  sixty-and-eight  houses,  and  one  market, 
and  the  whole  together  is  worth,  by  the  year,  twenty-five 
shillings."* 

It  would  divert  us  too  far  from  our  subject  if  we  were 
to  enter  upon  the  consideration  of  these  extracts,  and  the 
strange  terms  which  they  contain,  so  as  to  examine  their 
import  in  detail.  To  the  antiquary  and  historian  they 
are  sufficiently  familiar.  For  our  purpose,  it  is  enough 
that  we  can  gather  from  them,  with  the  most  perfect  con 
fidence,  that  the  monastery  of  Saint  Petrock  possessed 
the  town  of  Bodmin,  not  only  when  the  record  was 
drawn  up,  but  likewise  in  the  reign  of  King  Eadward, 
that  is,  antecedently  to  the  Conquest.  The  monastery  of 

was  abridged.  There  is  also  a  copy  for  Cambridge  and  Hertford,  which  was 
preserved  in  the  monastery  of  Ely. — See  Sir  II.  Ellis'  Introd. 

1  The  expression  "ea  die  qua  RexEdwardus  fuit  vivus  et  mortuus"  is  stated 
by  Sir  II.  Ellis  to  be  peculiar  to  the  Exeter  copy,  being  rarely  met  with  in  the 
great  Domesday.  In  the  Ely  copy  it  runs,  "  tempore  regis  ^Edwardi  et  in  morte." 
—Sir  II.  Ellis'  Introd.     See  also  Charter  No.  897  of  the  Codex,  where  will  be 
found  the  same  formula,  "  on  Sam  timan  fceEadwerd  cing  woes  cucu  and  dead." 
Was  this  phraseology  a  Norman  importation  ?     It  savours  of  the  language  of 
our  lawyers  at  this  day,  "  Whereas  A.B.  was  in  his  lifetime,  and  also  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  seized,"  &c. 

2  "  Sanctus  Petrocus  habet  i  mansionem  que  vocatur  Bodmine  quam  tenuit 
idem  Sanctus  ea  die  qua  rex  Edwardus  fuit  vivus  et  mortuus.     In  ea  est  i  hida 
terre  que  nullo  tempore  reddidit  gildum.  Hanc  possunt  arare  iiii  carruce.  In  ea 
terra  sunt  v  villani  qui  habent  ii  carrucas  et  vi  bordarii  et  v  agri  nemusculi  et 
xxx  agri  pascue  et  in  eadcm  mansione  habet  Sanctus  Petrochus  Ix  et  viii  domos 
et  i  mercatum  et  istud  totum  insimul  valet  per  annum  xxv  solidos. 


66  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

Saint  Petrock  is  here  represented  to  us  in  immediate 
connection  with  the  town  of  Bodmin.  Its  landed  pos 
sessions,  as  enumerated  in  Domesday,  are,  in  part,  such 
as  were  possessed  by  the  Bodmin  monastery  at  the  time 
of  its  dissolution  ;  and  the  identity  of  the  two  cannot 
possibly  admit  of  any  question.  It  would  be  as  bold  as 
it  would  be  illogical,  to  aver  that  these  entries  might,  not 
withstanding,  relate  to  a  Petrock-stowe  at  Padstow ;  nor 
do  we  think  it  necessary  to  combat  such  an  extravagant 
opinion.  The  rent-roll  of  its  estates  attests  its  wealth 
and  consequent  importance  ;  and  we  cannot  wonder  that 
it  should  have,  offered  a  tempting  prize  to  the  ocean  free 
booters,  who,  we  are  told,  devastated  Saint  Petrocks-stowe 
about  a  century  before  the  date  of  this  record. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  show  what  evidences  there 
are  of  the  Bodmin  monastery  of  a  still  higher  date. 

In  the  57th  year  of  King  Henry  III.,  that  monarch 
granted  a  charter  to  the  Prior  and  Canons  of  Bodmin, 
which  recites,  by  inspeximus,  another  charter  of  so  early 
a  date  as  the  reign  of  King  Eadred,  whereby  the  latter 
"  granted  and  confirmed  for  ever  to  our  beloved  in  Christ, 
the  Prior  and  Canons  of  Bodmin,  the  manor  of  Newton, 
with  the  appurtenances,  in  the  county  of  Devon,  free 
from  all  services  except  prayers  to  God;"  which  grant 
King  Henry  further  confirmed  to  the  Prior  and  Canons, 
and  released  them  from  all  suit  to  the  hundred  of  Shefbir 
(Shebbear),  in  which  the  property  was  situated.1 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  I.,  proceedings  were  taken 
against  the  Prior  of  Bodmin,  to  compel  suit  to  the 
hundred  of  Shebbear,  and  the  prior,  in  answer,  proffers 
the  charter  of  King  Henry ;  and  the  validity  of  the  de 
fence  appears  to  have  been  admitted.3 

1  Appendix  No.  VIII.  2  Appendix  No.  X. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  67 

In  corroboration  of  this  evidence  it  will  be  found,  on 
referring  to  the  Domesday  Survey,  that  the  manor  of  New 
ton,  in  Devon,  was  then  held  by  "  the  priests  of  Bomene."1 
So,  too,  at  the  time  of  the  suppression  of  the  monastery, 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII. ,  the  same  manor,  then  dis 
tinguished  as  "  Newton  Saint  Petrock,"  was  still  a  part 
of  its  possessions.2 

The  Prior  and  Canons  of  Bodmin  are  thus  recognised 
so  early  as  the  reign  of  King  Eadred  [A.D.  946-55], 
which  commenced  but  six  years  only  after  the  death  of 
King  ^Ethelstari. 

In  addition  to  this  testimony,  we  have  that  of  the 
manumissions  at  the  altar  of  Saint  Petrock,  which  we 
have  already  had  occasion  to  refer  to.  They  record 
transactions  which  took  place  at  "  the  altar  of  Saint 
Petrock"  which,  it  may  be  gathered  from  them,  was 
within  a  minster  or  conventual  church.  Two  of  the 
entries  refer  expressly  to  Bodmin,3  as  a  town  situated 
close  to  it,  and  we  can  scarcely  avoid  the  inference  that 
they  all  relate  to  the  Bodmin  monastery. 

1  "  Prbi  de  Bomene  ten  Holecome,  &c. 

Ipsi  pbri  ten  Niwetone,  q  geld  p.  una  hida,"  &c. — Domesday  Survey. 

2  Valor  Ecclesiasticus,  temp.  Hen.  VIII. 

"  Prioratus  de  Bodmyn 
In  comitatu  Devonie 

Newton  Petrok.  redditns  et  firme £796 

Holcomb.  redditus  et  firme 510" 

3  The  following  is  one  of  the  entries,  with  a  translation : — "  Her  ky$  on  fcissere 
bee  tSfiet  ^Eilsig  bohte  anne  wifmann  OngyneSel  hatte  and  hire  sunuGyfciccsel  set 
Durcilde  mid  healfe  punde,  set  fccere  cirican  dura  on  Bodmine  and  sealde  -ZEilsige 
portgereua  and  Maccosse  hundredes  mann  IIII.  pengas  to  tolle ;  $a  ferde  TEilaig 
to  $e  $a  men  bohte  and  nam  hig  and  freode  upp  an  Petrocys  weofede,  aefre 
sacles,  on  gewitnesse  fcissa  godera  manna ;  $a?t  wees  Isaac,  messepreost ;  and 
Blefccuf,  messepreost ;  and  Wunning,  messepreost  j  and  "VVulfger,  messepreost ; 
and  Grifiufc,  messepreost ;  and  Noe,  messepreost ;  and  WurSicifc,  messepreost ; 
and  ^ilsig,  diacon ;  and  Maccos  and  Tefcion  Modredis  sunu,  and  Kynilm,  and 
Beorlaf,  and  Dirling,  and  Gratcant,  and  Talan.     And  gif  hwa  $as  freot  abrece, 
hebbe  him  wifc  Criste  gemene.     Amen." — Cod.  Dip.  vol.  iv.  p.  313. 

"  Here  is  it  made  known  in  this  book  that  -ZEilsig  bought  a  woman  named 


68  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

The  earliest  dates  which  admit  of  being  assigned  to 
this  record,  are  derived  from  entries  of  two  manumissions 
made  by  King  Eadmund  himself  at  the  altar ;*  and  they, 
consequently,  furnish  us  with  proof  of  the  existence  of  the 
monastery  at  Bodmin  antecedently  to  the  reign  of  King 
Eadred,  and  nearly  so  far  back  as  the  supposed  date  of 
its  Saxon  foundation.2 

Quitting  the  safe  track  of  historic  evidence  and  written 
records,  we  must  now  resort  to  less  trustworthy  sources. 

Leland,  writing  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  has  pre 
served  certain  accounts  regarding  Saint  Petrock  and  this 
monastery,  which,  he  says,  were  transcribed  from  the 
ancient  charters  of  endowment.  But  we  have  great 
doubt  of  Leland  himself  having  seen  these  charters,  and 
even  of  their  existence  in  his  day.  We  are,  therefore,  not 
disposed  to  look  at  these  statements  in  any  other  light 
than  as  so  many  traditions,  whatever  value  may  belong  to 
them  in  that  character,  and  although  they  may  have  been 
long  reduced  to  writing,  and  preserved  at  the  monastery. 

Ongynethel,  and  her  son  Grythicesel,  of  Thurcilde,  for  half  a  pound,  at  the  church- 
door  in  £odmin,  and  gave  ^ilsige  the  portreeve  and  Maccos  the  hundred-man 
fourpence  as  toll.  Then  went  JEilsig,  who  bought  the  serfs,  and  took  them  and 
freed  them  at  Petrock's  altar,  ever  sacless  [exempt  from  jurisdiction  or  control], 
by  the  witness  of  these  good  men,  that  is,  Isaac,  mass-priest ;  Blethcuf,  mass- 
priest;  and  Wunning,  mass-priest ;  an rlWulfger, mass-priest;  and Grifiuth, mass- 
priest  ;  and  Noe,  mass-priest ;  and  Wurthicith,  mass-priest ;  and  ^Eilsig, 
deacon  ;  and  Maccos,  and  Tethion,  Modred's  son,  and  Kynilm,  and  Beorlaf,  and 
Dirling,  and  Gratcant,  and  Talan.  And  if  any  one  break  this  freedom,  may  he 
account  for  it  to  Christ.  Amen." 

1 "  Hsec  sunt  nomina  mulierum,  Medhuil,  Adlgun,  quas  liberauit  Eadmunt  rex 
super  altare  Sancti  Petroci  palam  istis  testibus,  Cangueden  diaconus,  Byt  cleri- 
cus,  Anaoc,  Tithert." 

"  Hsec  sunt  nomina  hominum  quos  liberauit  Eadmund  rex  pro  anima  sua 
super  altare  Sancti  Petroci,  Tancwoystel,  Weneriefc,  coram  istis  testibus,"  &c. 
—  Cod.  Dip.  vol.  iv. 

2  There  is  also  a  charter  purporting  to  contain  a  grant  of  "Niwantune"  to 
Saint  Petrock,  by  King  ^Ethelstan.  Unfortunately  it  bears  the  incongruous 
date  of  A.D.  DCLXX.,  which  induced  Wanley  to  pronounce  it  a  forgery  ;  for 
this  reason  we  have  been  unwilling  to  rely  on  it,  but  we  shall  probably  revert 
to  it  in  the  Appendix. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  69 

Their  purport  is  as  follows  : — That  Saint  Petrock,  when 
he  came  into  Cornwall,  succeeded  to  the  possession  of  a 
little  hermitage,  which  Saint  Guron  resigned  to  him. 
That  Saint  Petrock  thereupon  betook  himself  to  a  mo 
nastic  life,  following  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict  at  "  Bod- 
mina,"  which  then  took  that  name  :  Bosmanna  signifying 
the  dwelling  of  the  monks.  That  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict 
was  maintained  there  until  the  time  of  King  ^Ethelstan. 
This  king  is  designated  the  first  founder  of  the  monastery, 
which  can  only  be  reconciled  with  the  previous  statement, 
on  the  supposition  that  he  was  the  first  to  endow  it,  or 
else  that  he  changed  its  constitution.1 

Elsewhere,  referring  to  the  priory  church  at  Bodmin, 
Leland  observes,  that  Saint  Petrock  was  patron  of  it,  and 
"  sometime  dwely'd  ther."  "  That  the  shrine  arid  tumbe 
of  Saint  Petrok  yet  stondeth  in  th'est  parte  of  the 
chirche."2  The  saint  is  stated,  by  Leland,  to  have  been 
a  Welshman ;  and,  according  to  Usher,  he  came  into 
Cornwall  A.D.  518  :  a  date,  be  it  observed,  preceding  by 
some  centuries  the  establishment  of  the  Saxon  power  in 
that  county.  Without  attaching  undue  importance  to 
the  statements  preserved  by  Leland,  if  we  take  them  in 
conjunction  with  the  strictly  historic  testimony  already 
adduced,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  conclude,  that  the  Bod 
min  monastery  was  either  taken  under  the  patronage  of 

1  "  Hoec  qua?  sequuntur  transcripta  sunt 
ex  antiquis  Donationum  chartis." 

"  S.  Petrocus  monasticam  professus  vitam  sub  regula  D.  Benedict!  apud  Bod- 
iniiiam  tune  temporis  vocatum. 

"  Bosuianna  id  est  mansio  monachorum  in  valle  ubi  S.  Guronus  solitarie  de- 
gens  in  parvo  tugurio  quod  relinquens  tradidit  S.  Petroco. 

"  Quam  regulam  usque  ad  tenipus  Athelstani  monastic®  dicatarn  discipline 
inonachi  ibidem  tenuerunt. 

"  An0  923.     Primus  fundator  ^Ethelstanus." — Lei.  Collect,  torn  i.  75. 

We  have  some  doubt  of  "  Bosmanna  "  being  the  true  etymon  of  Bodmin,  but 
it  would  be  out  of  place  to  enter  upon  this  subject  here. 

2  Lei.  Itln. 


70  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

the  Saxons  soon  after  the  entire  subjugation  of  Cornwall 
by  King  .^Ethelstan,  or  otherwise  that  it  was  then  first 
founded  by  them. 

The  fact  which  Leland  records,  of  the  shrine  and  tomb 
of  Saint  Petrock  yet  standing  in  the  church  at  Bodmin, 
is  not  without  significancy  as  an  evidence  of  St.  Petrock' s 
residence  and  burial  at  that  place.  In  corroboration  of 
this  fact,  we  may  mention,  that  there  is  a  curious  story 
preserved  in  the  annals  of  Roger  de  Hoveden,  that  in 
the  year  1177,  the  body  of  Saint  Petrock  was  clandes 
tinely  carried  away  from  the  monastery  by  one  Martin, 
a  canon  regular  of  the  same  house ;  and  taken  to  the 
Abbey  of  Saint  Meen,  in  Brittany,  then  part  of  the  pos 
sessions  of  the  English  crown.  Upon  this  being  discovered, 
Roger,  who  was  then  prior  of  Bodmin,  and  the  better 
disposed  portion  of  the  chapter,  complained  to  the  King 
(Henry  II.),  who  commanded  the  body  to  be  restored. 
The  abbat  and  his  brethren,  under  fear  of  the  King's 
displeasure,  at  once  complied  with  the  royal  mandate,  and 
delivered  the  body  of  the  saint  to  Roger,  making  oath  at 
the  same  time,  "  upon  the  holy  evangelists,  and  upon  the 
relics  of  the  saints,  that  they  had  restored  the  identical 
body  unchanged,  and  in  an  entirely  perfect  state."1 

The  existence  of  the  Bodmin  monastery,  from  a  very 
early  period,  has  now  been  substantiated  by  undoubted 

1  Mr.  D.  Gilbert,  in  his  History  of  Cornwall,  under  "  Bodmin,"  gives  the 
account  of  this  transaction  as  narrated  by  Benedictua  Abbas,  which  agrees  with 
that  in  Roger  de  Hoveden. 

We  must  leave  to  the  reader  to  reconcile  as  best  he  can  the  above  story  with 
the  fact  that  there  is  preserved  in  the  Bodleian  Library  a  numerous  inventory  of 
relics,  said  to  have  been  given  to  St.  Peter's  monastery  by  King  TRt.heistan, 
among  which  will  be  found  "part  of  St.  Petrock's  bones,  and  of  his  hair,  and 
of  his  clothes  "  ["  op  S.  Pefrjiocej-  banum  -j  op  hij"  pexe  ~j  op  hij"  clatSon"]. 

This  curious  document  is  too  long  for  insertion  in  this  work,  but  we  give  in 
the  Appendix  No.  I.  the  introductory  part,  as  illustrating  not  only  the  super 
stitious  veneration  then  paid  to  relics,  but  the  naive  and  simple  style  of  writing 
then  in  use. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  71 

testimonies,  and  placed  before  us  in  a  distinct  and  palpable 
form.  Let  us  now  turn  from  this  well-authenticated  his 
tory,  to  consider  what  may  be  said  in  favour  of  a  monas 
tery  of  Saint  Petrock  at  Padstow. 

It  is  asserted  by  Camden,  and  solely,  as  it  should 
seem,  on  the  authority  of  legends  preserved  in  the  life  of 
the  saint,  that  "Padstow"  is  a  corruption  of  "  Petrock- 
stowe,"  Saint  Petrock  having  sometime  dwelt  there.  In 
like  manner,  it  is  asserted  by  Usher,  that  Saint  Petrock 
dwelt  there.  We  may  at  once  observe  that  these  state 
ments  are  contradicted  by  the  legend,  as  preserved  by 
Leland ;  from  which  we  learn  that  Bodmin  was  the  place 
where  that  saint  fixed  his  abode.  Dr.  Borlase,  to  recon 
cile  these  accounts — which  at  best,  as  historic  testimony, 
are  of  no  great  value — supposes  that  the  monks,  for 
better  security  against  pirates,  removed  from  Padstow 
to  Bodmin.  Dr.  Whitaker,  on  the  other  hand,  believes 
that  King  ^Ethelstan  founded  a  monastery  of  Saint 
Petrock,  both  at  Padstow  and  Bodmin.  It  will  not  be 
necessary  for  us  to  discuss  at  length  these  different 
views,  for  the  following  reasons.  It  does  not  appear  to 
be  asserted  by  either  of  these  authors,  that  the  see  of 
Cornwall  was  ever  placed  at  Padstow.  For  Dr.  Borlase, 
who  supposes  a  removal  from  that  place  to  Bodmin, 
assigns  the  event  to  a  date  preceding  the  creation  of  the 
Cornish  episcopate;  and  Dr. Whitaker,  who  supposes  two 
monasteries  of  Saint  Petrock,  contends  that  the  see  never 
was  at  Saint  Petrock's  at  all.1  It  is  however  to  be  ob 
served,  that  from  other  traditional  accounts,  preserved 
in  the  lives  of  the  saints,  it  appears  that  Saint  Patrick 
also  is  said  to  have  landed  at  Padstow,  A.D.  432,2  in 
commemoration  of  which,  a  church,  bearing  his  name,  was 

1  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  vol.  i.  30,  32,  45,  46,  60,  69. 

2  Borlase' s  Antiquities  of  Cornwall. 


72  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

there  afterwards  founded.1  The  resemblance  between 
his  name  and  Padstow,  or  Paddestow,  will  probably  be 
deemed  more  striking  than  that  of  Saint  Petrock ;  and 
we  may  therefore,  with  as  much  reason,  attribute  the 
name  of  Padstow  to  the  former  as  to  the  latter  saint — 
a  suggestion  thrown  out  by  Borlase.  We  have  great 
doubts  however  of  the  name  of  Padstow  being  really  of 
ancient  origin.  It  does  not  appear  capable  of  being 
traced  back  many  centuries.  The  older  English  appel 
lation  is  admitted  to  be  "  Aldestowe,"  that  is,  the  "  Old- 
stowe;"2  and  the  still  older  Cornish  name,  "Laffenack," 
which  Dr.  Borlase  conjectures  may  signify  either  the 
church  of  stone  or  the  church  of  the  monks.  In  these 
names  we  seem  to  descry  some  faint  traces  of  a  church 
or  monastic  institution  in  ancient  times ;  but  when  or 
by  whom  founded,  or  to  whom  dedicated,  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining.  Leland  appears  to  have  been 
unable  to  inform  us  of  the  name  of  the  patron  saint  of 
Padstow  Church,  inasmuch  as  he  has  left  it  uninserted 
in  his  text.  It  is  usual,  however,  to  assign  it  to  Saint 

1  —  "  cum  S.  Patricias,  a  Celestino  Papa  missus,  Hibernicos  ad  fidem  Christi 
convertisset,  atque  eos  in  fide  solidasset  Britaniam  rediit  et  in  portum  qui  Haile- 
mout  nuncupatur  appulit,  ob  cujus  reverentiam,  sanctitatisque  excellentiam 
ibidem  statuitur  ecclesia  S.  Patricii  nomine,  propter  ejus  merita  et  frequentia 
miracula  insignita." —  Usher,  369. 

Dr.  Whitaker,  to  get  rid  of  this  testimony,  insists  that  the  story  belongs  of 
right  to  St. Petrock,  and  not  to  St.  Patrick;  the  supposed  error  having  arisen 
from  a  mistake  of  the  name. —  Cath.  of  Corn.  vol.  i.  p.  33,  note ;  ii.  p.  287. 

2  Leland  was  informed  that  the  name  was  "Adelstow,"  i.e.  locus  "Athelstani," 
as  though  that  King  had  founded  it ;  but  from  various  evidences  it  can  be 
shown  that  the  name  was  "Aldestowe"     In  former  times  there  seems  to  have 
been  a  prevailing  desire  in  Cornwall  to  claim  an  origin  from  King  ^Ethelstan. 
St.  Germans,  Bodmin,  Padstow,  and  St.  Berian,  have  all  asserted  such  a  claim. 
There  is  a  charter  purporting  to  be  King  ^Ethelstan's,  founding  St.  Berian's 
Church,  but  apparently  spurious.     It  was  clearly  the  impression  that  his  reign 
was  the  earliest  date  which  could  be  assigned  to  the  English  authority  in  Corn 
wall.     Padstow  is  admitted  to  be  taxed  by  the  name  of  "Aldestowe"  in  the 
Valor  of  Pope  Nicholas,  A.D.  1291. — See,  too,  proceedings  temp.  Edward  I., 
Appendix  No.  X. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  73 

Petrock ;  the  authority  for  which  we  are  not  aware  of. 
The  adjoining  parish  is  admitted  to  be  connected  with 
the  name  of  Saint  Petrock,  being  now  called  Little  Pe- 
therick,  or  Saint  Petrock  the  Less.  We  learn,  however, 
from  Mr.  Lysons,  that  it  was  anciently  known  by  the 
name  of  "Nassington."  There  is  to  be  found  among  the 
archives  of  Exeter  Cathedral,  a  record,  that  on  the  28th 
September  1415,  Bishop  Stafford  licensed  the  celebration 
of  Divine  Service  "  in  the  Chapels  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
and  of  the  Saints  Michael,  Petroc,  Germanus,  and  We- 
thenye,  within  the  limits  of  the  parish  of  Saint  Petrock 
of  Padstow."1 

This  record,  so  far  from  proving  the  identity  of  the 
two  names,  "  Petrockstowe,"  and  "  Padstow/'  seems  to 
us  to  prove  the  reverse.  It  applies  evidently  to  Little 
Petherick,  or  Saint  Petrock  the  Less ;  which,  being  close 
to  Padstow,  was  so  described  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
greater  Petrocks-stowe  at  Bodmin. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Bodmin  monastery,  at  the 
time  of  its  suppression,  possessed  the  manor  of  Padstow, 
with  its  port,  harbour,  and  fishery  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  we 
find  no  mention  of  this  property  among  the  possessions 
of  the  monastery  enumerated  in  Domesday,  we  may 
infer  that  it  was  a  later  acquisition.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  Chapter  at  Bodmin,  after  they  had  acquired  it, 
may  have  founded  there  a  church  or  chapels  dedicated 
to  Saint  Petrock,  as  they  appear  to  have  done  in  their 
manors  of  Hollacombe  and  Newton  Saint  Petrock,  in 
Devon  ;  and  thus  the  church  of  Little  Petherick,  and  that 
of  Padstow  also,  supposing  it  to  bear  the  name  of  that 
saint,  may  have  had  their  origin.2 

1  "In  capellis  Sancte  Trinitatis,  sanctorum  Michaelis,  Petroci,  German!  et 
Wethenye,  infra  limites  parochie  Sancti  Petroci  de  Padistow." — Oliver's  Monast. 
2>ioc.  Exon.  p.  442. 

2  The  suffix  of  "stowe,"  meaning  "place"  only,  although  constantly  applied 


74  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

We  have  now  stated  the  grounds  on  which  the  belief 
in  a  monastery  of  Saint  Petrock,  at  Padstow,  is  sup 
ported  ;  and  it  will  be  apparent  how  feeble  and  unsatis 
factory  is  the  foundation.  Resting  partly  on  uncertain 
philological  conjectures,  and  partly  on  doubtful  surmises, 
founded  on  legends  which  possess  no  trustworthy  autho 
rity,  there  is  not  a  tittle  of  evidence  of  a  really  historical 
character  which  can  be  adduced  in  support  of  it.  But  if 
we  turn  from  the  indistinct  and  shadowy  form  in  which 
this  supposed  establishment  presents  itself  to  our  appre 
hension,  and  regard  the  other  at  Bodmin,  the  existence 
of  which  has  been  brought  before  us  in  all  its  substantial 
reality — and  if  we  bear  in  mind  that  in  all  respects  it 
fulfils  the  historical  requisites  of  the  Petrockstowe  of 
antiquity,  it  would  seem  to  be  wholly  unreasonable  to 
withhold  our  acceptance  of  it  as  such,  or  to  expect  to  find 
any  other. 

Returning  from  this  digression  to  the  main  subject  of 
our  inquiry,  we  will  now  consider  what  are  the  argu 
ments  in  favour  of  the  respective  claims  of  Saint  Germans 
and  Saint  Petrock  to  be  deemed  the  see  of  the  Cornish 
bishops  :  assuming,  for  the  reasons  stated,  Bodmin  to  be 
the  unquestionable  site  of  the  latter. 

by  the  Saxons  to  institutions  of  a  monastic  or  conventual  character,  was  some 
times  used  in  a  different  sense.  We  find  in  Cornwall,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Padstow,  the  churches  of  "  Davidstowe,"  "  Jacobstowe,"  and  several  others, 
where  it  was  never  pretended  that  there  was  a  collegiate  body. 


75 


CHAPTER    V. 

Place  of  the  See  continued — Testimonies  adduced — Inquisition  temp.  Edw.  III. 
— Charter  of  King  .^Ethelred,  annexing  Saint  Petrock's  to  the  See  of  Saint 
Germans — Charter  of  King  Cnut — Charter  of  King  Eadward,  uniting  the 
Cornish  and  Devon  Bishopricks,  and  See  removed  to  Exeter,  A.D.  1050 — 
Possibly  a  joint  See  of  Saint  Germans  and  Saint  Petrock — Kelation  of  the 
Bishop  to  the  Monastery — Transfer  of  its  Lands  on  the  removal  of  the  See — 
Those  of  Saint  Germans  divided — No  part  of  Saint  Petrock's  Estates  trans 
ferred — Leland's  authority  as  to  the  See — Evidence  of  the  Manumissions  as 
to  the  See — Not  conclusive  in  favour  of  Bodmin,  as  assumed  by  Mr.  D.  Gilbert 
— Recapitulation . 

IT  has  been  already  noticed  that  the  historian  of  Malmes- 
bury,  who  composed  his  works  within  the  century  which 
followed  the  extinction  of  the  Cornish  Episcopate,  was 
unable  to  determine  between  the  respective  claims  of 
Saint  Germans  and  Saint  Petrock  to  be  deemed  the  place 
of  the  see,  and  left  that  question  still  unresolved.  Our 
early  modern  historians  adopted  the  hypothesis  that 
the  see  was  at  both  those  places — first  at  Bodmin,  and 
afterwards  at  Saint  Germans;  and  that  the  removal 
was  occasioned  by  the  pillage  of  the  Bodmin  monastery 
by  the  Danes  in  981,  recorded  in  the  Saxon  Chronicle. 
We  are  not  aware  that  this  supposed  removal  rests  oil 
the  authority  of  any  ancient  author;  and  until  some 
testimony  is  adduced  in  its  favour,  we  must  receive  the 
statement  as  conjectural  only. 

We  believe  the  earliest  direct  reference  to  the  Cornish 
see,  as  such,  after  that  of  William  of  Malmesbury,  is 
the  record  of  a  judicial  proceeding,  which  took  place 
A.D.  1358  (32  Edw.  III.),  when  some  inquiry,  by  a  jury, 
was  instituted,  regarding  the  legal  rights  of  the  Bishop 


76  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

of  Exeter  over  certain  lands  as  appertaining  to  Saint 
Germans  monastery.  The  result  of  this  inquiry  is  set 
forth  in  a  record  which  is  technically  termed  an  Inqui 
sition  ;  and  the  same  record  was  adduced  and  confirmed 
in  the  reign  of  King  Richard  II.,  A.D.  1383.  In  it  we 
find  it  stated,  "  that  a  certain  King  of  England,  Knout 
by  name,  gave  to  God  and  the  Church  of  Saint  Germans, 
and  those  who  there  served  God,  the  lands  and  tenements 
in  the  writ  contained,  that  there  the  episcopal  seat  of 
Cornwall  then  was,  and  a  bishop  named  Brithwold,  and 
secular  canons,  &c.'?1 

This  ancient  record  appears  to  us  to  possess  great 
weight ;  it  contains  the  conclusion  come  to  by  persons 
who  examined  the  matter  judicially,  at  a  period  when 
evidence  must  have  been  attainable  which  is  now  beyond 
our  reach.  Of  itself,  and  unsupported  by  other  testi 
mony,  it  should  seem  to  be  quite  sufficient  to  satisfy  us, 
that  at  least  at  the  time  of  King  Cnut,  Saint  Germans 
was  the  place  of  the  see.  But  this  King  began  to  reign 
A.D.  1017;  and  consequently  the  document  will  not 
decide  for  us  whether  the  see  had  not  been  removed 
thither  a  short  time  previously,  upon  the  Danish  attack 
of  Bodmin,  A.D.  981. 

The  grant  of  King  Cnut,  referred  to  in  the  inquisition, 
we  shall  presently  submit  to  notice ;  but  we  shall  first 
adduce  a  still  earlier  document,  of  the  reign  of  King 
^Ethelred,  dated  A.D.  994.2  Omitting  the  formal  part  of 
it,  which  is  long  and  verbose,  and  without  any  bearing 
on  our  subject,  the  contents  of  this  instrument  may  be 
thus  translated  : — 

"  Wherefore  I  [yEthelred]  now  make  known  to  all 
Catholics,  that  with  the  advice  and  permission  of  the 

1  Appendix  No.  IX. 

2  No.  686,  Cod.  Dip.,  Appendix  No.  II. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  7? 

bishops  and  princes,  and  of  all  my  nobles,  for  the  love 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  holy  Confessor  Germanus, 
as  well  as  of  the  blessed  excellent  Petrocus,  for  the  re 
demption  of  my  soul,  and  for  the  absolution  of  my  sins, 

I  have  granted  the  bishoprick  of  Ealdred  the  bishop,  that 
is,  in  the  province  of  Cornwall,  that  it  may  be  free,  and 
subject  to   him,  and  all  his  successors ;    that  he   may 
govern  and  rule  his  diocese,  as  other  bishops  who  are 
under  my  authority  ;  and  that  the  place  and  rule  of  Saint 
PctrocJcs  may  be  always  in  his  power,  and  in  that  of  his 
successors;  and  so  that  it  may  be  free  from  all  royal 
tributes,  and  released  from  the  obligation  of  compulsory 
works  and  penal  liabilities  (but  with  the  apprehension  of 
thieves1),  and  from  every  secular  burden,  military  ser 
vice  excepted,  and  so  free  perpetually  may  remain." 

On  an  attentive  consideration  of  this  document,  it  may 
be  observed,  that  it  was  not  a  mere  formal  grant,  made 
in  ordinary  course,  on  the  appointment  of  Ealdred  to  the 
see,  for  we  have  already  noticed  his  signature,  as  Bishop 
of  Cornwall,  in  a  charter  of  the  preceding  year.3  We 
are  therefore  certain  that  he  had  been  in  the  possession 
of  his  bishoprick  for  some  time  previously.  The  instru 
ment  itself  is  of  twofold  effect :  first,  it  enfranchises  the 
episcopacy  from  certain  liabilities,  the  nature  of  which 
it  is  unnecessary  for  our  purpose  that  we  should  enter 
upon ;  and  secondly,  it  subjects  "  the  place  and  rule," 

II  locus  atque  regimen,"  of  Saint  Petrock  to  the  authority 
of  the  bishop. 

It  is  admitted  that  every  bishop  had  a  general  power 
of  superintendence  over  the  monastic  institutions  within 

1  The  right  of  apprehending  and  trying  thieves,  taken  either  within  or  with 
out  the  manor,  is  often  found  enumerated  among  manorial  privileges,  even  in 
recent  times,  by  the  homely  but  genuine  Anglo-Saxon  terms  of  "  Infang-theofn 
and  "  Ontfang-theof." 

2  Page  14. 


78  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

his  diocese.1  It  is  consequently  clear  that  by  the  term 
"  regimen,"  it  was  intended  that  Ealdred  should  acquire 
some  special  power  and  control  over  this  monastery, 
which  he  did  not  possess  before  ;  but  not  only  was  he  to 
have  this  ff  regimen,"  but  the  "locus'^  also,  by  which 
we  may  understand  the  site  of  the  monastery,  including 
the  building,  and  whatever  else  might  be  upon  it ;  and 
thus  a  property  or  interest  in  the  monastery  itself  must 
have  passed  to  the  bishop. 

There  are  two  aspects  in  which  this  instrument  may 
be  regarded.  Its  date  is  thirteen  years  after  the  Bodmin 
monastery  had  been  plundered  by  the  pirates.  And  if 
we  assume,  as  is  asserted  by  Camden  and  other  writers, 
that  the  bishop,  in  consequence,  removed  his  see  to  Saint 
Germans,  we  should  expect  that  there  would  have  been 
some  instrument  by  which  Saint  Germans  would  have 
been  placed  in  the  same  connection  with  the  episcopate 
that  Saint  Petrock  was  before.  It  is  impossible  to  attri 
bute  to  this  charter  such  an  effect.  It  is  evident,  that 
the  subjection  of  Saint  Petrock  to  the  bishop,  and  his 
interest  in  the  monastery,  must,  if  the  see  had  been  there 
previously,  have  been  of  long  standing ;  and  this  part  of 
the  instrument  could  have  had  no  application.  From 
the  obvious  meaning  of  the  document,  we  are  compelled 
to  infer,  that  the  bishop's  special  authority  over  that 
monastery  was  now  conferred  by  it  for  the  first  time ; 
and  thus  the  possibility  of  the  supposed  removal  from 
Bodmin  to  Saint  Germans  is  wholly  precluded. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  we  assume  that  the  see  had 
been  previously  connected  with  Saint  Germans,  the  con 
tents  of  the  grant  resolve  themselves  at  once  into  the 

1  Kemble's  Saxons  in  England,  vol.  ii.  p.  400.    Excerpta  Ecgberti  Arch. 
Ebor.  65. — Thorpe's  Ancient  Laws. 

2  Were  not  "locus "'and  "stowe"  in  technical  language  synonymous? 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  79 

intelligible  fact,  that  it  was  intended  by  it  to  annex  to 
the  bishoprick  the  monastery  of  Bodmin,  in  addition  to 
that  of  Saint  Germans.  Doubtless,  such  an  act  would 
have  conferred  an  honour,  if  not  a  more  substantial 
benefit,  on  the  Bodmin  monastery;  and  must  at  the  same 
time,  by  furnishing  the  episcopate  with  more  ample 
means  of  sustaining  it,  have  served  to  enhance  the  im 
portance  of  the  monastery  at  Saint  Germans,  which  was 
already  intimately  connected  with  the  see.  We  are, 
therefore,  able  to  understand  the  force  of  the  phrase, 
"  for  the  love  of  the  holy  Confessor  Germanus,  as  well  as 
of  the  blessed  excellent  Petrocus,"  which  is  stated  in  the 
charter  to  be  the  inducement  to  the  grant.  The  only 
fair  conclusion,  as  it  seems  to  us,  which  we  can  draw 
from  this  instrument,  is,  that  the  Cornish  see  was  not 
only  at  the  date  of  this  charter,  but  had  been  from  the 
time  probably  of  its  creation,  placed  at  the  monastery  of 
Saint  Germans,  and  nowhere  else.  Such  is  the  conclu 
sion  of  Dr.Whitaker,  and  we  unhesitatingly  adopt  it. 

This  reasoning  will,  we  venture  to  think,  acquire  in 
creased  cogency,  if  we  compare  this  charter  with  a  similar 
one  of  King  ^Ethelstan,  enfranchising  the  see  of  Crediton, 
which  for  this  purpose  we  insert  in  the  Appendix.1  Both 
instruments  are  in  pari  materid,  and  illustrate  each  other. 
Now,  if  we  exclude  from  King  ^Ethelred's  all  that  relates 
to  Saint  Petrock,  the  remaining  portion,  mutatis  mutandis, 
will  be  very  nearly  a  counterpart  of  the  charter  of  King 
^Ethelstan.  For,  as  in  the  latter,  the  King,  for  the  love 
of  God,  and  in  veneration  of  the  Blessed  Mary,2  and  for 

1  No.  XI. 

2  It  should  seem,  from  this  part  of  the  charter,  that  the  cathedral  church  of 
Crediton  was  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  consequently  could  not  have 
been,  as  generally  supposed,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  at  Crediton.     It  is 
remarkable  that  there  long  survived,  at  Crediton,  a  guild  or  brotherhood  of 
"  Our  Lady."     This  fact  is  mentioned  by  Dr.  Oliver,  in  his  Hon.  Exon. 


80  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

the  authority  of  all  the  saints,  confers  freedom  on  the 
bishoprick  of  the  church  of  Crediton ;  so,  in  the  other, 
it  would  then  run  that  King  ^Ethelred,  for  the  love  of 
Christ,  and  of  the  holy  Confessor  Germanus,  granted  the 
bishoprick  that  is  in  the  province  of  Cornwall,  that  it 
might  be  free.  The  introduction  into  this  instrument  of 
Saint  Petrock's  monastery,  and  the  subjection  of  it  to 
the  Cornish  bishop,  will  consequently  imply  a  separate 
and  secondary  object,  and  will  have  the  character  which 
we  have  attributed  to  it,  of  being  an  additional  endow 
ment  in  favour  of  the  bishoprick  ;  on  the  other  hand,  if 
we  exclude  from  .^Ethelred's  charter  what  relates  to  Saint 
Germanus,  the  instrument  in  great  measure  loses  all  force 
and  meaning ;  for,  as  already  observed,  there  surely  could 
have  been  no  need  of  subjecting  Saint  Petrock's  to  the 
bishop,  if  the  cathedral  church  had  previously  been  at 
that  place ;  nor  in  this  case  could  we  assign  any  intel 
ligible  purpose  whatever  to  the  introduction  of  Saint 
Germanus  into  the  grant.  For  these  reasons,  we  are  irre 
sistibly  led  back  to  our  first  conclusion. 

We  noticed  that  the  inquisition,  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  III.,  referred  to  a  grant  of  lands  made  by  King 
Cnut  to  the  church  of  Saint  Germans.  The  document 
containing  this  grant  we  shall  now  submit.  It  bears 
date  A.D.  1018,  and,  omitting  the  irrelevant  portion  of  it, 
may  be  thus  translated : : — 

"  Wherefore  I,  Cnut,  enthroned  King  of  the  English, 
do  grant  unto  my  most  faithful  bishop,  who  is  called  by  the 
well-known  name  BurJiwold,  in  right  of  a  perpetual  in 
heritance,  a  certain  portion  of  land,  to  wit,  four  hides  in 

1  No.  728,  Cod.  Dipl.  Appendix  No.  III.  We  assume  that  this  is  the  iden 
tical  grant  referred  to  in  the  inquisition;  but  it  is  right  to  observe,  that  this 
fact,  however  probable,  is  not  exactly  proved.  See  note  in  the  last  chapter  of 
this  work.  But  this  question  is  of  no  importance  as  regards  the  object  of  our 
inquiry. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  81 

two  places  divided,  where,  by  the  inhabitants,  it  is  called 
Landerhtun  ;  and  the  land  elsewhere  [called]  Tinieltun  ; 
to  hold1  so  long  as  the  vital  breath  in  this  troublous  life 
shall  sustain  the  fragile  body ;  and  after  his  decease,  the 
land  Landerhtun  to  commit  for  his  soul  and  the  King's, 
to  Saint  Germanus  in  perpetual  liberty,  and  Tinieltun, 
the  bishop  to  deal  with,  as  to  him  shall  seem  fit.  And 
the  aforesaid  gift  to  remain,  as  I  have  already  said,  from 
every  worldly  service  exempt;  with  all  things  to  the 
same  of  right  appertaining ;  fields,  woods,  pastures, 
meadows  (military  service  only  excepted,  if  necessity  re 
quire),  and  apprehension  of  thieves,  the  same  liberty  to 
be  held  in  the  manner  above  expressed." 

The  contents  of  this  charter  do  not  throw  any  import 
ant  light  upon  our  subject.  There  is  no  mention  made 
in  it  of  Saint  Pctrock.  The  grant  is  of  two  estates  for 
the  especial  benefit  of  the  bishop,  seemingly,  in  his  pri 
vate  capacity,  but  with  a  reversion  in  one  of  them,  after 
his  death,  to  the  monastery  of  Saint  Germans.  It  is  to 
this  extent  an  additional  testimony  of  the  intimate  con 
nection  of  the  episcopate  with  Saint  Germans. 

We  have  only  one  more  charter  to  adduce,  which  is 
of  much  interest,  not  only  from  its  being  the  instrument 
which  legalises  the  incorporation  of  the  Devon  and  Cornish 
Episcopates  into  one  new  diocese,  fixing  the  see  at  Exeter, 
but  also  as  it  records  the  installation  of  Bishop  Leofrick 
into  the  new  bishoprick,  by  King  Eadward  and  his  royal 
consort  in  person.  It  bears  date  A.D.  1050,  eight  years 
after  he  succeeded  to  the  crown.2  Omitting,  as  before, 
the  formal  parts  of  it,  the  following  is  a  translation  : — 

"  Wherefore  I,  Eadward,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King 

1  The  "Habendum"  in  deeds,  with  which  our  lawyers  are  so  familiar,  was 
an  ancient  form  even  at  the  date  of  this  charter. 

2  No.  791,  Cod.  Dip.     Appendix  No.  IV. 

G 


82  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

of  the  English,  actuated  by  motives  of  good  will,  inas 
much  as  I  have  ordained,  in  accordance  with  what  is 
commanded  in  the  divine  decrees,  to  consolidate  an  epis 
copal  chair  at  the  city  of  Exeter,  in  the  monastery  of  the 
blessed  Peter,  chief  of  the  apostles,  which  is  situated 
within  the  walls  of  the  same  city,  by  the  authority  of  the 
Heavenly  King,  by  my  own,  and  by  that  of  my  consort 
Eadgytha,  and  of  all  my  bishops  and  dukes,  and  by  virtue 
of  this  special  grant,  and  the  assurance  of  this  hand 
writing,1  for  all  time  to  come,  do  constitute  Leofrick  that 
he  be  the  pontiff  there,  and  those  who  shall  succeed  him, 
to  the  praise  and  glory  of  the  holy  and  individual  Trinity, 
Eather  and  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  the  honour  of 
holy  Peter,  the  apostle.  I  give  also  all  possessions  to  the 
same  place  belonging,  whatsoever  they  may  be,  as  well  in 
lands,  as  in  pastures,  meadows,  woods,  waters,  freed-men, 
serfs,  and  bond-women,2  laws,  tax,  territories,  unto  God 
and  Saint  Peter,  and  to  the  brotherhood  of  canons  there 
serving ;  that  they  may  have  at  all  times  landed  estate  for 
the  support  of  the  body,3  whereby  they  may  be  enabled 
to  be  Christ's  soldiers  without  trouble  of  mind.  This, 
however,  I  make  known  to  the  Lord  the  Pope  Leo,  first 
of  all,  and  confirm  by  his  own  attestation  ;  then  to  all  the 
English  nobles,  that  the  diocese  of  Cornwall,  which  for 
merly,  in  memory  of  the  blessed  Germanus,  and  in  venera 
tion  of  Petrocus,  had  been  assigned  to  an  episcopal  throne, 
the  same,  with  all  the  parishes  thereto  belonging,  lands, 
vills,  substance,  benefits,  I  deliver  to  Saint  Peter,  in  the 
city  of  Exeter,  to  wit,  that  there  may  be  one  episcopal 
seat,  and  one  pontificate,  and  one  ecclesiastical  rule,  on 
account  of  the  paucity,  and  the  devastation  of  goods  and 
people,  inasmuch  as  pirates  have  been  able  to  plunder 

1  Per  hoc  privilegium  testament!  atque  cautionem  cyrographi." 

2  Servis  et  ancillis.  s  Subsidium  hnbesum  eorporia. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  83 

the  Cornish  and  Cryditon  churches,  and  on  this  account 
it  has  seemed  good  to  have  a  more  secure  protection 
against  enemies  within  the  city  of  Exeter,  and  so  there  I 
will  the  seat  to  be.  That  is,  that  Cornwall  with  its 
churches,  and  Devon  with  its,  may  be  united  into  one 
episcopate,  and  be  ruled  by  one  bishop.  Therefore,  this 
special  grant,  I,  King  Eadward,  lay  with  my  own  hand 
upon  the  altar  of  Saint  Peter,  and  the  Prelate  Leofrick 
by  the  right  arm  leading,  and  my  Queen  Eadgytha  by 
the  left,  I  place  in  the  episcopal  chair,  in  the  presence  of 
my  dukes  and  kinsmen,  nobles  and  chaplains,  and  with 
the  assent  and  approval  of  the  Archbishops  Eadsine  and 
^Elfric,  and  all  the  others  whose  names  are  mentioned  at 
the  end  of  this  instrument." 

The  usual  denunciations  follow  against  such  as  should 
be  guilty  of  any  infraction  of  the  charter ;  and  there  is 
also,  as  usual,  a  long  array  of  witnesses,  containing  the 
names  of  the  two  archbishops,  five  bishops,  five  dukes, 
three  who  sign  as  "  nobilis,"  two  abbats,  four  presbyters, 
and  ten  who  sign  as  "  minister/7 

Neither  this  charter  of  King  Eadward  the  Confessor, 
nor  the  former  one  of  King  Cnut,  furnishes  any  direct 
testimony  on  the  subject  of  our  inquiry.  It  is  true  they 
both  set  forth  the  bishop  and  the  conventual  church  at 
Saint  Germans,  in  such  a  mutual  relation  as  to  leave  no 
doubt  that  this  must  have  been  the  place  of  his  see  when 
these  documents  were  executed.  But  this  fact  is  not 
controverted.  There  is,  however,  a  conclusion  which,  it 
seems  to  us,  may  be  derived  from  their  evidence,  which 
we  will  now  lay  before  the  reader. 

Camden,  and  other  writers  of  that  period,  sought  to 
reconcile  the  conflicting  statements  of  William  of  Mal- 
mesbury,  and  to  clear  up  the  obscurities  of  the  other 
evidence,  by  supposing  that  the  Cornish  bishops  were 


84  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

seated,  first  at  Saint  Petrock's,  and  afterwards  at  Saint 
Germans.  We  have  shown  that  this  view  is  untenable ; 
and  equally  untenable  is  the  suggestion  of  Borlase,  that 
Saint  Germans  monastery  was  annexed  to  the  Bodmin 
see.  There  remains,  then,  but  one  conclusion  which  can 
possibly  be  arrived  at,  and  which  is  adopted  by  Dr. 
Whitaker,  that  the  see  was  at  Saint  Germans  from  the 
first,  and  that  the  charter  of  ^Ethelred  annexed  to  it 
the  monastery  at  Bodmin. 

We  are,  however,  inclined  to  think  that  this  view  should 
be  modified  in  the  manner  we  are  about  to  explain. 
Indeed  it  is  probable  that  our  suggestion,  from  its  ob 
vious  nature,  will  have  already  presented  itself.  The 
argument  on  which  it  rests  is  broadly  enunciated  by  Dr. 
Whitaker,  although  he  does  not  exactly  point  out  the 
inference  to  be  drawn  from  it.  We  will  quote  his 
words.  After  commenting  on  the  charter  of  King 
^Ethelred,  he  thus  speaks  of  its  effect : — 

"No  change  was  made  in  the  jurisdiction  and  seat  of 
the  bishop.  This  was  still  left  at  Saint  Germans,  and  that 
was  still  allowed  to  be  commensurate  with  Cornwall. 
But  the  monastery  of  Bodmin  was  now  annexed  to  the 
see ;  the  name  of  Bodmin  was  now  subjoined  to  that  of 
Saint  Germans,  and  the  bishop  became,  by  this  conces 
sion  from  the  crown,  the  prelate  of  Cornwall,  under  the 
combined  titles  of  Saint  Germans  and  of  Bodmin :  just 
as  by  the  same  sort  of  annexation,  formerly,  the  see  of 
Lichfield  is  now  entitled  Lichfield  and  Coventry." 

But  why  are  we  to  suppose,  with  Dr,  Whitaker,  that 
under  such  circumstances  the  see  was  not  changed  ?  Are 
we  not  rather  justified  in  inferring  that  there  was  from 
that  time  a  joint  see?  Is  the  title  of  the  see  to  be  de 
rived  from  two  places,  and  the  see  itself  not  to  be  deemed 
at  both  these  places  ? 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  85 

Let  us  revert  again  to  the  charter  of  King  Eadward. 
We  shall  observe  that  the  Cornish  episcopate  is  there 
stated  to  have  been  "formerly  assigned  to  an  episcopal 
throne,  in  memory  of  the  blessed  Germanus,  and  in  venera 
tion  of  Petrocus"  So  strong  do  these  words  seem,  that, 
if  taken  alone,  they  imply  that  the  episcopacy  had  been 
connected  with  both  these  monasteries  from  its  first 
creation ;  and  we  should  have  been  compelled  to  draw 
this  conclusion,  but  for  the  evidence  we  have  that  the 
annexation  of  that  at  Bodmin  did  not  take  place  until 
the  reign  of  King  ^Ethelred.  But  it  is  impossible  to  in 
terpret  King  Eadward's  charter  in  any  other  way,  than 
by  supposing  Saint  Petrock's  monastery  to  have  been  so 
connected  with  the  episcopacy  as  to  share  the  honour  of 
being  the  bishop's  see  equally  with  that  of  Saint  Germans. 
The  prelate  himself  would  thus  have  been  styled,  as  sug 
gested  by  Borlase,  "  The  Bishop  of  Saint  Germans  and 
Saint  Petrock's." 

We  do  not  know  that  any  material  objection  could  be 
raised  to  this  view  of  the  case.1  It  is  true,  that  for  a 
bishop  to  have  his  seat  in  more  places  than  one,  is  an 
anomaly ;  and  at  a  later  period  of  Anglican  church  his 
tory,  would  have  been  inconvenient,  if  not  impracticable. 
But  at  the  time  we  speak  of,  and  with  the  comparatively 
simple  habits  which  must  have  then  obtained  in  the 
church,  it  does  not  seem  impossible  for  a  bishop  to  have 
had  an  official  residence  at  two  places,  and  to  have  re 
moved  from  one  to  the  other  as  occasion  served.  The 
language  of  King  Eadward's  charter,  it  must  be  admitted, 
is  not  easy  to  be  understood,  in  whatever  light  it  is  re 
garded  ;  but  with  this  interpretation  it  becomes  more 
intelligible  than  by  any  other  solution. 

1  It  should  seem  that  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  times,  the  capitular  bodies  took  no 
part,  even  nominally,  in  the  election  of  bishops. —  Saxons  in  England,  vol.  ii.  378. 


86  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  Cornish  episcopate  is  fre 
quently  referred  to  in  ancient  documents,  it  is  somewhat 
remarkable  that  no  where  do  we  find  it  designated  by  the 
name  of  its  see.  Even  when  coupled  with  that  of  Devon, 
and  in  the  selfsame  sentence,  one  is  constantly  styled  the 
"  Crediton  bishoprick,"  and  the  other,  as  invariably,  the 
"  bishoprick  of  Cornwall"  To  what  ought  we  to  attribute 
this  circumstance?  May  we  not  suppose  that  it  was 
occasioned  by  the  fact  of  Saint  Germans  and  Bodmin 
being  both  made  the  seat  of  the  bishop,  and  that  it  was 
impossible  to  designate  it  by  a  single  word  ? l 

It  may  not  be  without  use  to  consider  somewhat  more 
closely  what  was  the  exact  relation  in  which  the  bishop 
and  the  monastery  stood  with  regard  to  each  other,  when 
the  latter  had  been  made  the  foundation  of  his  bishoprick. 
Independently  of  such  a  relation,  the  bishop  had,  as  we 
have  already  observed,  a  general  superintendence  over  all 
monastic  establishments  within  his  diocese ;  but  by  this 
connection,  we  presume,  he  must  have  become  its  virtual 
head,  controlling,  if  not  superseding,  the  abbat  or  prior, 
and  must  also  have  acquired  a  right  to  participate  in  its 
revenues.  We  can  derive  some  few  gleams  of  light  on 
this  subject  by  the  aid  of  the  Domesday  Survey. 

This  record  was  completed  A. D.  1086,  that  is,  thirty-six 
years  after  the  see  was  removed  to  Exeter.  Osbearne, 
who  succeeded  Leofrick,  is  referred  to  in  it  as  then  bishop 

1  Another  reason  may  be  assigned,  namely,  that  there  was  in  fact  no  place  by 
which  the  see  could  be  designated.  It  is  true  that  in  process  of  time  a  town 
sprang  up  around  the  Saint  Germans  monastery,  but  it  never  had  any  name 
distinct  from  the  monastery  itself  which  gave  it  birth,  and  in  the  age  we  are 
concerned  with,  it  may  have  had  no  existence.  The  canons  of  the  church  re 
quired  the  episcopal  seat  to  be  in  a  large  town,  but  here  there  was  perhaps  not 
a  village ;  and  for  the  reason  stated,  there  may  have  been  no  usage  to  warrant 
the  see  being  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  saint  to  whom  the  cathedral 
church  was  dedicated.  This  objection  would  not  apply  to  Saint  Petrock,  where 
the  town  of  Bodmin  had  already  acquired  a  distinctive  appellation,  and  had  the 
see  been  there  it  might  assuredly  have  been  termed  the  see  of  Bodmin. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  87 

of  that  diocese.  Among  the  lands  it  enumerates  as  be 
longing  to  the  bishop,  we  can  identify  the  greater  portion 
of  those  mentioned  in  Leofrick's  Charter,  as  the  property 
of  Saint  Peter's  monastery.1  Five  of  these  manors  are 
noted  in  the  Survey,  as  serving  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  canons ;  we  may  therefore  presume  that  all  the  re 
maining  lands,  being  the  greater  part  in  number,  had 
become  the  exclusive  property  of  the  bishop.  This  ap 
propriation  of  the  revenues  of  the  monastery  must,  we 
imagine,  have  been  the  result  of  some  amicable  arrange 
ment  entered  into  between  the  parties  ;  or  must  have  been 
directed  by  the  crown  when  the  see  was  established  there. 

Again,  we  find  it  mentioned  in  the  Survey  that  the 
bishop  held  "  Critetone,"  from  which  we  learn  that  that 
manor  which,  without  doubt,  was  previously  annexed  to 
the  bishoprick  whilst  the  see  existed  there,  passed  with  it 
when  the  see  was  transferred  to  Exeter. 

It  will  also  be  borne  in  mind,  that  King  Eadward  the 
elder,  when  he  founded  the  Crediton  see,  gave  to  the 
bishop  three  vills  in  Cornwall,  viz.,  "Polltun,"  "Cselling," 
and  "Landuuithan."  The  first  and  last  of  these  are 
usually  identified  with  "Pautone"  and  "  Langvitetone,"2 
recorded  in  Domesday  among  the  lands  at  that  time  the 
property  of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter.  These  also,  as  annexed 
to  the  see,  must  have  passed  with  it  to  Exeter. 

Let  us  now  observe  what  took  place,  at  the  same  period, 
with  regard  to  the  estates  of  the  Cornish  episcopacy,  arid 
the  two  monasteries  supposed  to  be  connected  with  it. 
The  Charter  of  King  Cnut,  A.D.  1018,  it  will  be  remem 
bered,  conferred  on  Bishop  Buruhwold  lands  at  "  Land- 
erhtun"  and  at  "Tinieltun";  with  a  direction  that  the 

1  Appendix  No.  V. 

2  Usually  deemed  to  be  identical  with  Pawton  (in  Saint  Breock),  and  Law- 
hitton,  of  the  present  day ;  and  Cabling  with  Callington. 


88  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

former,  at  his  decease,  should  pass  to  the  monastery  of 
St.  Germans ;  and  the  latter  should  be  at  the  bishop's 
own  disposal.  The  property  of  "  Landerhtun"  consisted 
of  lands  in  the  parish  of  Landrake,  which  adjoins  that  of 
St.  Germans.1  "Tinieltun"  we  are  not  able  to  identify 
with  certainty.  We  know,  however,  that  lands  in  Land- 
rake  and  "  Tynyell,"  wherever  that  may  have  been,  were 
among  the  possessions  of  the  Saint  Germans  priory  at  the 
time  of  its  dissolution.2  We  are,  therefore,  left  to  infer, 
that  the  latter  property  had  been  given  to  it  by  Burh- 
wold,  and  that  both  were  retained  by  the  monastery  on 

1  We  assume  this  charter  to  be  the  grant  referred  to  in  the  inquisition. — 
Appendix  Nos.  III.  IX.    The  property  the  inquisition  relates  to,  is  "  three  mes 
suages  and  two  acres  of  land  and  half,  with  the  appurtenances  in  Laurake  [no 
doubt  an  error  of  the  copyist  for  Lanrake],  in  the  county  of  Cornwall."     The 
names  Darton  and  Tarton  are  still  found  in  the  parish  of  Landrake ;  and  Tarton 
Down,  in  Landrake,  is  said  to  have  supplied  the  stone  of  which  Saint  Germans 
church  is  built.     The  priory  had  large  possessions  in  that  parish  at  the  time  of 
its  dissolution;    and  if  they  were  derived  from  Cnut's  grant,  which  comprised 
four  hides,  we  must  read  the  inquisition  as  if  it  had  been  said  in  modern  legal 
phraseology,  "the  three  messuages,"  &c.,  were  granted  "inter  alia"   The  four 
hides,  no  doubt,  contained  a  large  area ;  for  taking  the  hide  at  the  lowest  com 
putation  of  thirty  acres,  and  applying  it,  as  was  the  usage,  to  the  arable  land 
only,  it  was  probably  accompanied  with  some  hundred  acres  of  wood  and  pas 
ture,  which  it  was  not  usual  to  take  account  of.   Some  traces  of  "  Landerhton" 
may  possibly  still  survive  in  the  name  of  the  parish,  at  this  day  "  Landrake," 
but  more  probably  in  "Darton"  and  "Tarton." 

2  We  suspect  "  Tynyell"  to  be  the  same  as  the  manor  and  farm  now  called 
"Tinnel,"  in  the  parish  of  Landulph,  Cornwall,  a  few  miles  from  Landrake, 
although,  as  yet,  we  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  a  positive  confirmation  of  it. 
The  priory  of  St.  Germans  had  tithes  in  that  parish  at  the  dissolution.    In  the 
Ministers'  Accounts,  31  Henry  VIII.,  we  have — 

"SANCTI  G-EKMANI  PBIOKATUS  COMITATU  COENTJBIJE. 

(Among  other  entries) 
Lanrake  manerium  redditus  liberorum  tenencium  ....    £  8     2     3| 

Lanrake  villa  redditus  liberorum  tenencium 1  11     6 

„         „       redditus  convencionariorum  tenencium  .     .     .     .  51  11     Oi 

Tynyell  redditus  liberorum  tenencium 106 

„         redditus  tana  convencionariorum  tenencium  quam  cus- 

tumariorum 20  11  10^ 

„         Perquisita  curie 098 

Landylpe  porcio  decline  garbarum 0  10    0" 

Oliver's  Monast.  Dioec.  Exon. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  89 

the  transfer  of  the  see.  The  disposition  of  the  manor 
of  St.  Germans  is,  however,  particularly  instructive,  since 
we  find  its  lands  divided,  with  some  show  of  equality, 
between  the  bishop  and  the  monastery.  The  entry  in 
Domesday  may  be  thus  translated.  We  take  the  extract 
from  the  Exeter  copy  of  this  record,  as  it  is  somewhat 
more  explicit  than  that  in  the  Exchequer : — 

"  The  bishop  has  one  manor,  which  is  called  Saint 
Germans,  which  Lcuricitus  (Leofrick)  the  bishop  held  on 
the  day  when  King  Edward  was  alive  and  dead.  In 
it  there  are  twenty-four  hides.  Of  these  the  canons  of 
Saint  Germans  have  twelve  hides,  which  never  paid  tax ; 
and  the  twelve  hides  of  the  bishop  paid  tax  for  two  hides. 
These  twelve  hides  of  the  bishop  twenty  ploughs  can 
plough.  There  has  the  bishop  one  hide  in  demesne  and 
two  ploughs ;  and  villani  have  eleven  hides  and  sixteen 
ploughs.  There  has  the  bishop  thirty  villani,  and  twelve 
bordarii,  and  four  servi,  and  thirty  sheep,  and  two  leugae 
of  wood  in  length,  and  one  in  breadth,  and  four  leugae  of 
pasture  in  length,  and  two  in  breadth,  and  it  pays  per 
annum  eight  pounds,  and  when  the  bishop  [first]  received, 
it  was  worth  a  hundred  shillings.  And  the  twelve  hides 
of  the  canons  of  Saint  Germans  forty  ploughs  can  plough. 
There  have  the  canons  one  hide  in  demesne,  and  two 
ploughs, and  villani  eleven  hides  and  twenty-three  ploughs. 
There  have  the  canons  twenty-three  villani,  and  fifteen 
bordarii,  and  two  servi,  and  sixty  sheep,  and  four  leugae 
of  wood  in  length,  and  two  in  width,  and  two  leugae  of 
pasture  in  length,  and  one  in  breadth,  and  it  is  worth  per 
annum,  for  the  use  of  the  canons,  a  hundred  shillings."1 

1  "Eps  lit  imansionem  que  vocat  Scs  German  q  tenuit  leuricitus  eps  ea  die 
q  rex  E.  fuit  v.  et  ra.  In  ea  st  xxim  hid.  de  his  hnt  Canonici  Sci  German! 
XII  hid.  "q  numq  redd  gildii  et  xii  Epi  reddidert  gildu  p.  II  hidis.  has  xii  hidas 
epi  posst  arare  xx  carr.  Inde  fit  eps  I  hid  in  dnio  ct  n  carr.  et  villani  lint  xi  hid- 


90  THE    EPISCOPATE    OE    CORNWALL. 

It  is  quite  evident  from  this  entry,  that  on  the  removal 
of  the  see  to  Exeter,  a  partition,  either  compulsory  or 
by  agreement,  was  made  of  the  territorial  possessions  of 
this  establishment :  the  bishop  carrying  with  him  to 
the  new  see  the  manor  of  Saint  Germans,  and  one  half 
of  the  lands  comprised  in  it ;  the  monastery  retaining  the 
other  half.  In  this  fact  we  have  the  most  indisputable 
proof  of  the  intimate  connection  of  the  latter  with  the 
Cornish  see. 

In  the  case  of  the  Bodmin  monastery  we  find  no  evi 
dence  whatever  that  any  portion  of  its  revenues  was 
appropriated  to  the  new  diocese.  There  is  in  Domesday, 
as  already  mentioned,  an  enumeration  of  its  landed 
estates ;  but  inasmuch  as  this  record  represents  only 
what  the  monastery  possessed  at  the  time  it  was  com 
piled,  being  more  than  thirty  years  after  the  change  of 
the  see,  we  cannot  be  sure  that  some  of  the  lands  then 
held  by  the  bishop,  had  not  formerly  been  the  property 
of  this  priory.  It  is  true  Lei  and  observes,  "  William 
Warlewist,  Bishop  of  Excestre,  erected  the  last  fundation 
of  this  priory,  and  had  to  himself  part  of  the  auncient 
landes  of  Bodmin  monasterie ;"  but  we  take  it,  this  ap 
plies  only  to  lands  which  this  bishop  appropriated  to 
himself,  on  his  reconstituting  this  institution,  long  after 
the  time  we  speak  of.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  two, 
Devonshire  manors  of  "  Holecumbe  "  and  "  Niwetone," 
which  were  the  property  of  this  priory,  the  latter  of 
which  had  been  given  to  it  so  early  as  the  reign  of  King 

et  xvi  carr.  Ibi  ht  eps  xxx  villanos  et  xn  bord  et  nil  servos  et  xxx  oves 
et  II  leugas  nemoris  i  longit  et  I  ilat  et  mi  leugas  pascue  I  long  and  n  ilat  et 
reddit  p.  annum  vin  libras,  et  qdo  eps  accepit  valebat  C  sol.  et  xii  hid.  ca- 
nonicorum  Sci  German,  possunt  arare  xl  carr.  Inde  habent  canonic!  I  hid  in 
dnio  et  n  carr  et  villani,  xi  hid,  et  xx.ni  carr.  Ibi  hnt  canonichi,  xxm  villanos, 
et  xv  bord,  and  II  servos,  et  Ix  oves,  et  mi  leugas  nemoris  i  longit  et  n  ilatit, 
et  ii  leugas  pascue  i  longit  et  I  ilat,  et  ualet  p.  annum  ad  opus  canonichor 
r  solid." — Exeter  Domesday. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  91 

Eadred,  are  recorded  in  Domesday  as  still  belonging  to 
it.  It  might  have  been  supposed  that  if  any  of  its  pro 
perty  had  passed  to  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  these  outlying 
portions  would  have  been  first  selected.  On  the  whole 
we  are  inclined  to  think  that  the  new  bishoprick  took  no 
benefit  from  the  lands  of  Saint  Petrock ;  nor  do  we  see, 
in  this  circumstance,  any  thing  which  militates  against 
the  notion  that  it  participated  in  the  Cornish  see.  It  is 
worth  remarking,  that  the  instrument  by  which  it  was 
annexed  to  the  episcopate,  seems  to  have  passed,  by  the 
term  "locus,"1  nothing  more  than  the  monastery  itself. 
It  does  not  contain  the  words  "  with  all  its  lands,"  &c., 
or  any  such  general  clause  as  would  imply  that  the 
whole  of  its  landed  property  was  intended  to  be  included 
in  the  grant.  We  should  likewise  bear  in  mind  that  it 
was  a  recent  acquisition  of  the  episcopacy,  and  not  be 
longing  to  it  at  its  first  foundation,  as  Saint  Germans 
was ;  and  that  it  was  conferred  apparently  for  the  better 
support  of  the  episcopacy  in  Cornwall,  and  consequently 
on  the  removal  of  the  see  to  another  county,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  it  should  have  been  allowed  to  revert 
back  to  the  same  state  and  condition  as  it  enjoyed  before 
the  annexation.  On  the  other  hand,  the  fact  of  the 
Bodmin  monastery  not  contributing  to  the  support  of 
the  new  diocese,  if  we  may  assume  as  much,  is  to  our 
mind  a  strong  proof  that  its  connection  with  the  Cornish 
bishoprick  was  of  a  less  intimate  character  than  that  of 
Saint  Germans,  and  consequently  that  it  could  not  have 
been  the  foundation  of  the  see  from  its  commencement, 
as  it  is  sometimes  contended. 

Passing  from  these  evidences  of  a  remote  age  to 
writings  of  a  comparatively  modern  date,  we  may  advert 
to  the  evidence  of  Leland.  All  the  memoranda  he  has 

1  Page  77. 


92  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

preserved  respecting  Saint  Germans  concur  in  attributing 
the  see  to  that  place.  He  says : — 

"  Ethelstan  was  its  first  founder. 

"  It  was  in  the  time  of  Ethelstan  the  episcopal  seat, 
which  afterwards,  by  Saint  Edward  the  Confessor  and 
King,  was  transferred  to  the  Church  at  Exeter."1 

And  again,  in  the  passage  quoted  before : — 

"  He  raised  one  Con  an  to  be  bishop,  in  the  church  of 
Saint  Germans,  A.D.  936,  on  the  nones  of  December." 

"  There  were  successively  eleven  bishops  in  the  church 
of  Saint  Germans.  Then  the  see  and  secular  canons  were 
transferred  to  Exeter."2 

The  opinion  of  Leland  on  this  subject  is  very  clear 
and  decisive ;  and  if  we  are  not  inclined  to  place  implicit 
confidence  in  it,  or  to  view  these  memoranda  as  any 
thing  more  than  traditions  preserved  on  the  spot,  the  fact 
of  his  seeing  eleven  bishops  painted  in  Saint  Germans 
Church  cannot  be  doubted,  and  proves  these  traditions 
to  have  descended  from  a  very  early  age,  and  on  that 
account  entitled  to  greater  respect. 

We  should  be  guilty  of  a  great  omission  in  this  part 
of  our  inquiry,  if  we  passed  over  in  silence  the  evidence 
supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  Saint  Petrock  manu 
missions  ;  more  especially  as  the  late  President  of  the 
Royal  Society,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  the  first 
to  submit  this  interesting  document  to  public  notice,  ap 
pears  to  take  for  granted  that  it  contradicts  Dr.Whitaker's 
views,  and  indisputably  establishes  the  see  at  Bodmin,  to 
the  entire  exclusion  of  Saint  Germans.3  With  every  re- 

1  "  S.  Grermanus  in  Cornubia  Prior." 

"  Ethelstanus,  1s  fundator." 

"Fuit  tempore  Ethelstani  sedes  episcopalis  quse  postea  per  Sanctum  Ed- 
wardum  confess,  regem  translata  fuit  ad  ecclesiam  Exoniensem." — Leland's 
Collect,  torn.  i.  p.  75. 

3  Page  15.  3  Mr.  D.  Gilbert's  History  of  Cornwall,  vol.  iii.  pp.  407-8. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  93 

spcct  for  the  high  authority  of  Mr.  D.  Gilbert,  we  feel 
compelled  to  observe,  that  so  far  from  this  document  in 
evitably  leading  to  this  conclusion,  it  simply  leaves  the 
question  just  where  it  was  before.  We  have  mentioned, 
at  a  previous  page,  that  on  the  open  spaces  and  margins  of 
this  ancient  copy  of  the  Gospels  we  find  entered  minutes 
or  records  of  civil  transactions,  of  which  the  greater  num 
ber  purport  to  have  taken  place  "  at  the  altar  of  Saint 
Petrock" ;  the  transactions  thus  recorded,  consisting  of 
the  manumissions  of  serfs,  which  were  usually  made  in 
a  church  or  other  public  place.  These  entries,  so  far  as 
their  dates  can  be  ascertained,  from  allusions  to  cotem- 
porary  and  well-known  personages,  embrace  at  least  the 
period  from  King  Eadmund  [A.D.  940-46]  to  the  time  of 
Bishop  Buruhwold,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  continued  in 
his  see  until  the  reign  of  King  Eadward  [A.D.  1042],  that 
is,  a  period  of  about  one  hundred  years.  We  have  already 
noticed  that  it  may  be  gathered  from  the  entries  that  the 
altar  of  Saint  Petrock  was  in  a  minster  or  conventual 
church,  and  that  Bodmin  being  twice  mentioned  as  a 
place  close  by  it,  the  obvious  inference  is  that  this  con 
ventual  church  was  at  the  well-known  monastery  of  Saint 
Petrock  at  Bodmin.  We  also  find  in  them  that  mention 
is  made  of  the  presence  of  a  bishop  on  twelve  different 
occasions.  Now,  without  doubt,  had  this  evidence  stood 
alone,  and  had  we  no  other  data  to  rely  upon,  this  pre. 
sence  of  a  bishop  on  so  many  occasions  would  have 
afforded  some  slight  ground  for  supposing  his  residence 
and  see  to  have  been  at  that  place.  But  it  is  by  no 
means  repugnant  to  his  being  seated  elsewhere,  could 
that  be  otherwise  shown.  We  have  more  than  once 
observed,  that  the  bishop  had  the  superintendence  of  all 
monastic  establishments  within  his  diocese :  it  surely 
then  is  not  remarkable  that  a  bishop  should  have  visited 


94  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

the  monastery  of  Saint  Petrock  a  dozen  times  during  the 
long  period  of  nearly  a  century,  although  he  might  have 
had  his  see  in  some  other  part  of  the  county.  In  one 
instance  we  find  among  the  witnesses  present  the  name 
of  "  Gestin,  the  bishop's  steward/'  which  would  seem  to 
imply  that  the  household  of  the  bishop,  and  if  so,  the 
bishop  himself,  must  have  resided  there.  It  is  possible 
that  this  entry,  the  exact  date  of  which  we  have  no 
means  of  ascertaining,  may  apply  to  the  period  subse 
quent  to  the  annexation  of  the  Bodmin  monastery  to  the 
see,  by  the  charter  of  ^Ethelred,  A.D.  994.  And  under 
the  circumstances  which  then  arose,  we  may  suppose 
either  that  Bodmin  was  then  admitted  into  the  parti 
cipation  of  the  honours  of  the  see,  as  already  suggested, 
or,  if  that  participation  be  objected  to,  that  the  right  of 
control  which  the  bishop  had  acquired,  by  means  of  that 
charter,  over  the  revenues  of  the  monastery,  had  given 
cause  for  the  presence  of  his  steward  on  the  occasion 
referred  to.1  In  any  point  of  view,  we  are  unable  to 
discover  in  the  evidence  of  the  Saint  Petrock  Book  of  the 
Gospels  any  such  "  instantia  crucis  "  as  Mr.  D.  Gilbert 
assumes.  It  appears  to  us  neither  to  add  to  nor  diminish 
the  force  of  the  argument  on  the  one  side  or  the  other, 
but  to  leave  the  question  just  in  the  same  position  in 
which  it  stood  before  this  ancient  record  had  come  to  light. 
To  recapitulate,  we  may  here  observe,  that  the  evi 
dences  adduced  in  this  and  the  preceding  chapter,  esta 
blish  beyond  controversy  the  existence  of  the  Bodmin 
monastery  of  Saint  Petrock  from  a  very  early  period ; 
while  for  that  which  is  supposed  to  have  existed  at  Pad- 
stow  we  are  without  any  positive  proof,  and  find  nothing 

1  It  may  be  remarked,  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  three  several  royal  visits 
recorded  at  Saint  Petrock's,  there  is  no  notice  of  the  presence  of  a  bishop :  a 
circumstance  not  likely  to  have  occurred  had  the  bishop  been  there  resident. 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    SEE.  95 

alleged  in  its  support  but  a  mere  conjecture,  wholly  in 
sufficient  to  give  it  a  right  to  supplant  in  our  minds  the 
one  at  Bodmin.  We  are  consequently  led  to  conclude 
that  the  latter  was  the  Saint  Petrockstowe  of  Anglo-Saxon 
history.  Again,  the  charter  of  King  Eadward  represents 
to  us  both  the  Saint  Germans  and  Bodmin  houses  to  be 
so  intimately  connected  with  the  episcopate,  that  we  are 
induced  to  believe  they  were  either  successively  or  jointly 
the  place  of  the  see.  If  we  adopt  the  former  view,  and 
suppose  a  removal  from  Bodmin  to  Saint  Germans,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  understand  King  ./Ethelred's  charter, 
which  evidently  conferred  on  the  Cornish  bishop,  for  the 
first  time,  a  special  control  over  and  property  in  the 
Bodmin  establishment ;  still  more  difficult  would  it  be 
to  reconcile  the  state  of  facts  disclosed  to  us,  with  the 
alleged  annexation  of  Saint  Germans  to  Bodmin.  No 
other  conclusion  remains  but  to  suppose  that  the  monas 
tery  of  Saint  Germans  was  the  original  seat  of  the  bishops, 
and  that  after  the  annexation  of  the  Bodmin  monastery, 
by  King  JEthelred,  their  see  was  probably  at  both  these 
places  indifferently,  and  so  continued  until  the  new  see 
was  established  at  Exeter.  This  conclusion,  derived  from 
the  documentary  evidence  alone,  is  in  no  respect  contra 
dicted  by  such  other  testimony  as  we  can  command. 


96 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Commencement  of  the  Cornish  See — involved  in  obscurity — not  easily  accounted 
for — The  silence  of  the  Bodleian  MS.  respecting  it — from  what  cause— 
Difficulties  explained  by  supposing  the  See  to  be  of  British  foundation — 
Reasons  assigned  for  the  removal  to  Exeter — somewhat  questionable — preju 
dicial  to  the  Cornish — Evidences  from  Architectural  Remains — at  Bodmin 
— at  St.  Germans — Cudclenbeake  slated  to  have  been  the  Bishop's  Palace — 
Conclusion. 

IT  cannot  fail  to  excite  surprise  that  the  origin  of  the 
Cornish  Episcopate  should  be  involved  in  that  obscurity  in 
which  we  find  it.  Although  its  commencement  may  have 
been,  and  probably  was,  coeval,  or  nearly  so,  with  the  en 
tire  submission  of  Cornwall  to  Saxon  rule,  that  event  lay 
far  within  the  range  of  English  history;  and  other  bishop- 
ricks  of  much  older  date  have  their  foundations  distinctly 
recorded.  If  we  refer  to  the  Bodleian  MS.,1  a  document 
undoubtedly  of  very  high  antiquity,  we  may  observe,  that 
it  contains  a  narrative  of  the  circumstances  which  led  to 
the  consolidation  of  the  two  sees.  It  begins  with  inform 
ing  us  of  the  creation  of  the  Crediton  see,  by  Eadward 
the  elder ;  but  it  is  wholly  silent  as  to  the  origin  of  that 
of  Cornwall.  It  would  be  difficult  to  attribute  this  omis 
sion  to  the  fact  itself  not  having  been  then  known,  unless 
there  were  reason  to  suppose  that  the  see  originated 
in  an  age  and  under  circumstances  altogether  different 
from  what  have  been  ordinarily  assumed.2  The  docu- 

1  Appendix  No.  VI. 

2  Whatever  doubts  there  may  be  respecting  the  correctness  of  the  story  of  the 
seven  bishops  ordained  in  one  day,  in  the  reign  of  Eadward  the  elder,  we 
imagine  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  the  Crediton  see  having  been  established 
about  that  time.    Eadulf,  its  first  bishop,  was  occupying  the  see  A.D.  933 


OENERAL    REMARKS.       •  97 

ment  then  proceeds  to  state  the  appointment  of  Leofrick 
to  the  bishoprick  of  "  the  church  of  Creditor,  and  of  the 
province  of  Cornwall ;"  and  that  this  prelate,  perceiving 
that  "  either  province  of  his  diocese,  that  is  Devon  and 
Cornwall'' had  been  devastated  by  pirates, meditated  how 
he  could  transfer  the  episcopal  chair  (not  of  the  Devon 
and  Cornish  episcopates,  but)  of  Crediton,  to  the  city  of 
Exeter.  Thereupon  he  despatches  a  messenger  to  the  Pope, 
to  request  his  intercession  with  the  King  for  this  removal 
to  Exeter  of  the  Crediton  see  only.    The  Pope's  letter  to 
the  King,  in  compliance  with  Leofrick's  request,  then 
follows ;  but  not  one  word,  or  the  most  distant  allusion, 
do  we  find  in  these  communications  between  Leofrick 
and  the  Pope  which  has  reference  to  the  see  of  Cornwall, 
which  seems  to  have  been  altogether  ignored  throughout 
this  transaction.    How  are  we  to  account  for  the  manner 
in  which  the  Cornish  episcopate  has  been  passed  over  in 
this  document?     Are  we  to  ascribe  this  reticence  to 
the  inadvertence  or  carelessness  of  the  person  by  whom 
the  narrative  was  drawn  up  ?   The  general  character  and 
style  of  the  document  hardly  admit  of  this  conclusion. 
Or  are  we  to  understand  that  the  episcopate  of  Cornwall 
was  intentionally  kept  out  of  view  in  the  communication 
to  the  Pope  ?     In  the  latter  case  there  must  surely  have 
been    some    cogent   reasons    for   adopting    this  course. 
Perhaps  it  may  be  said  that  Leofrick,  holding  both  bishop- 
ricks,  and  having  his  seat  at  Crediton,  that  for  Cornwall 

[Appendix  No.  XI.],  and  we  may  fairly  presume  that  the  see  of  Cornwall  could 
not  have  been  created  previously  to  that  of  Crediton ;  consequently,  not  a 
century  and  a  half  could  have  intervened  between  its  creation  and  the  time  of 
Leofrick's  episcopate  :  a  period  too  short  to  admit  of  our  supposing  that  the  cir 
cumstances  attending  that  event  were  unknown  in  Leofrick's  day.  And  should 
we  entertain  any  doubt  of  the  Bodleian  MS.  being  attributable  to  Leofrick,  it 
must  unquestionably  have  been  written  about  that  time.  It  is  certainly  quoted 
by  William  of  Malmesbury,  and  almost  as  certainly  by  Florence  of  Worcester, 
who  was  possibly  a  contemporary  of  Leofrick. 

H 


98  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

was  either  extinct  or  suspended,  and  no  notice  needed 
to  have  been  taken  of  it.  But  the  charter  of  King 
Eadward  the  Confessor  did  not  regard  the  matter  in  this 
light.  It  first  constitutes  Leofrick  and  his  successors 
bishops  of  Exeter,  and  then  delivers  to  him  the  diocese  of 
Cornwall,  that  there  may  be  one  episcopal  seat  and  one 
episcopate,  that  Cornwall  with  its  churches,  and  Devon 
with  its,  may  be  united  into  one  bishoprick.  If  the  inter 
vention  of  the  Pope  was  necessary  for  the  removal  of  the 
Crediton  see  to  Exeter,  it  may  be  supposed  that  it  would 
have  been  equally  necessary  for  the  removal  of  that  of 
Cornwall. 

It  is  possible  that  we  may  find  the  true  explanation  of 
this  difficulty  among  the  speculations  of  Dr.  Whitaker. 
We  may  remember,  that  whilst  he  contends  that  King 
^Ethelstan,  on  subduing  Cornwall,  established  a  bishop's 
see  at  Saint  Germans,  he  also  contends  that  this  place 
had  been  previously  the  see  of  the  Cornish  bishops 
whilst  that  county  remained  under  British  government. 
Now,  if  we  adopt  this  view,  we  shall  find  that  conse 
quences  will  flow  from  it  calculated  to  afford  us  material 
aid  in  removing  the  difficulties  we  labour  under.  Let  us 
consider  the  facts  somewhat  closely.  The  Anglo-Saxons, 
in  the  progress  of  their  victorious  arms  over  this  island, 
from  time  to  time,  wrested  from  the  Britons  successive 
portions  of  their  territory,  which  they  united  to  their  own 
dominions.  It  was  thus  that  the  kings  of  West  Saxony 
gradually  extended  their  authority  towards  the  west, 
until  the  boundary  of  their  kingdom  reached  the  part  of 
the  country  which  we  now  call  Cornwall.  The  ascend 
ency  of  the  German  invaders  throughout  the  island  was, 
by  this  time,  well  established,  and  under  the  mighty 
conqueror,  JEthelstan,  had  proved  itself  irresistible.  The 
miserable  and  despised  remnant  of  the  ancient  race,  which 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  99 

was  then  pent  up  in  the  narrow  Cornish  peninsula,  must 
have  been  but  too  fully  sensible  that  the  day  of  their  in 
dependence  had  for  ever  departed  from  them,  and  that  all 
further  opposition  to  the  new  dynasty  was  hopeless.  The 
last  account  we  have  of  the  Cornish-Britons,  or  rather  of 
the  Cornu-  Welsh,  or  West-  Welsh,  by  which  names  they 
were  usually  designated,  is  in  the  Saxon  Chronicle,  under 
the  date  of  A.D.  926,  the  year  following  that  in  which 
^Ethelstan  succeeded  to  the  crown.  The  Chronicle, 
speaking  of  his  power,  observes  :  — 

"  He  ruled  all  the  kings  who  were  in  this  island,  first, 
Huwal,  King  of  the  West-Welsh"1  &c. 

From  this  time  we  hear  no  more  of  them  as  a  distinct 
people  ;  and  the  annexation  of  Cornwall  to  the  Saxon  do 
minions  is,  therefore,  usually  assigned  to  this  reign.  From 
a  consideration  of  all  the  circumstances,  we  have  no  doubt 
that  this  submission,  on  the  part  of  the  Cornish,  was 
made  the  subject  of  a  treaty  or  convention,  by  the  terms 
of  which,  not  only  their  personal  liberty,  but  the  posses 
sion  of  their  lands  was  guaranteed  to  them,2  and,  possibly, 
the  preservation  of  such  of  their  institutions  as  were  not 
incompatible  with  the  Saxon  rule.  Huwal,  or  Howel,  is 
usually  considered  the  last  British  prince  who  exercised 
authority  in  Cornwall;  and,  inasmuch  as  we  find  numerous 
signatures  of  his,  appended  to  charters  emanating  from 
the  Saxon  monarchy,  he  must  have  continued  much  about 
the  English  court.  He  usually  signs  with  the  addition 
"  Regulus"  —  a  term  of  not  infrequent  use;  there  is,  con 
sequently,  some  reason  for  supposing  that  he  was  per 
mitted  to  enjoy  the  shadow  of  power,  as  an  "  under  king," 


An.  DCCCCXXVI.     Snb  ealle  }m  cyn^aj-  |>e  on  {jiffum  i^lanbe  pcejion 

e,  se/veft  J}upal,  pejt-pala  cymnj,"  &c. 
•  It  would  lead  us  too  far  away  were  we  to  introduce  here  the  grounds  of  this 
opinion. 


100  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

or  subordinate  ruler,  during  his  life.1  If  the  Cornish 
Britons  had  a  bishop  of  their  own,  as  insisted  on  by 
Dr.  Whitaker,  and  which  it  would  not  be  unreasonable 
to  suppose,  he  also  may  have  been  permitted  to  retain  his 
see ;  and  we  may  remember  that  Conan  is,  so  far  as  can 
be  discovered,  the  name  of  the  Cornish  prelate  in  JEthel- 
stan's  reign — a  name  apparently  of  British  origin.2  From 
regard  to  the  Cornish,  in  consideration  of  their  submis 
sion,  or  it  may  be  in  compliance  with  the  terms  of  their 
surrender,  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  bishops  who  suc 
ceeded  Conan  may  have  been  appointed  under  circum 
stances  not  strictly  regular  •  for  between  the  British  and 
Saxon  churches  there  had  always  existed  an  irreconcile- 
able  feud.3  In  this  view  of  the  case,  we  may  regard  the 
charter  of  King  ^Ethelred  as  the  first  direct  interference 
of  the  Saxon  monarchy,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the 
Cornish  episcopate  into  due  subordination  to  the  Saxon 
government,  and  giving  to  it  a  status  such  as  that  pos 
sessed  by  other  English  bishopricks.  The  contents  of 
that  charter,  with  this  interpretation,  will  acquire  a  new 

1  The  earliest  signature  is  A.D.  928,  No.  1101,  Cod.  Dip. ;  the  latest,  A.D.  949, 
No.  426,  Cod.  Dip.    Howel's  death  is  placed  differently  by  the  Welsh  Chronicles, 
A.D.  948  or  950. 

2  A  similar  name  will  be  found   several   times  in  the   Welsh   Chronicles. 
"  Conan,"  or  "  Cunan." — See  before,  p.  16.    "  Frequens  est  etiam  vocabulum 
cun  in  nominibus  britannicis — Cunobelinus,  Cunotamus,  Cunomaglus,  Maglo- 
cunus,"  &c. — Zeuss'  Grammatica  Celtica,  Pref.  p.  7. 

1  It  seems  the  dissension  chiefly  turned  on  the  form  of  the  tonsure  and  the 
time  of  keeping  Easter,  but  we  may  well  suspect  that  it  had  its  root  in  deeper 
and  political  grounds.  See  the  celebrated  letter  from  Aldhelm  (afterwards 
Bishop  of  Sherborne,  A.D.  705)  to  Gerontius,  King  of  the  West- Welsh.  It  will 
be  found  in  Cressy.  A  British  bishop  could  not  be  received  into  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  Church  without  re-ordination.  "  Qui  ordinati  sunt  Scottorurn  vel  Brit- 
tonum  episcopi,  qui  in  Pascha  vel  tonsura  catholicse  non  sunt  adunati  ecclesiae, 
iterum  a  catholico  episcopo  manus  impositione  confirmentur.  Licentiam  quo- 
que  non  habemus  eis  poscentibus  chrisma  vel  eucharistiam  dare,  nisi  ante  con- 
fessi  fuerint  velle  nobiscum  esse  in  imitate  ecclesise." — Theod.  Cap.  et  Frag. 
Thorpe's  Ancient  Laws,  vol.  ii.  p.  64. 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  101 

and  peculiar  significancy.  The  phrase  that  Ealdred,  the 
bishop,  should  rule  and  govern  his  diocese  like  other  bishops 
who  were  under  tiie  king's  authority  (sicuti  alii  episcopi  qui 
sunt  in  mea  ditione),  an  expression  which  seemed  to  imply 
that  the  bishop  held  his  see  under  a  different  title, becomes 
plain  and  intelligible.1  The  same  view  of  the  case  serves 
to  explain  the  difficulties  attendant  on  the  Bodleian  MS. 
That  document  could  not  well  have  mentioned  the  crea 
tion  of  the  Cornish  see,  if  it  had  taken  its  rise  at  some 
period  antecedent  to  the  Saxon  rule  :  a  period  respecting 
which  the  Saxons  were  probably  not  only  ignorant,  but 
had  no  desire  to  be  informed.  We  can  also  understand 
the  guarded  silence  respecting  it,  which  Leofrick  observed 
in  his  correspondence  with  the  Pope.  The  British  church 
for  a  long  while  was  independent  of  Rome,  and  refused 
to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  papal  power.  Now, 
unless  at  the  time  we  speak  of,  the  Cornish  church  had 
made  its  submission,  of  which  we  have  no  assurance,  it 
would  obviously  have  been  inconvenient,  and,  perhaps, 
unsafe,  for  Leofrick  to  recognise  an  episcopate  which,  at 
Rome,  would  have  been  either  regarded  as  founded  in 
schism,  or  otherwise  would  have  been  treated  as  a 
nullity.  By  the  aid  of  this  interpretation  we  may  also 
find  an  explanation  of  the  uncertainty  which  hangs  over 
the  place  of  the  Cornish  see,  as  well  as  a  satisfactory 
cause  for  the  apparent  anomaly  of  a  double  see.  If 
we  adopt  the  hypothesis  of  Dr.  Whitaker,  and  suppose 
that  the  Cornu-British  bishop  had  been  seated  first  at 
Exeter,  but  had  been  compelled,  by  the  encroachments  of 
the  Saxon  power,  to  retreat  to  Saint  Germans,  he  would, 
undoubtedly,  have  been  under  a  like  necessity  to  with- 

1  If  we  compare  the  language  of  this  charter  with  King  ^Ethelstan's  grant  to 
the  Crediton  bishop,  Appendix  No.  XI.,  both  being  on  a  similar  subject,  the 
peculiarity  of  ^Ethelred's  will  be  more  striking. 


102  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

draw  from  that  locality  also,  as  soon  as  the  Saxons  had 
established  themselves  on  the  western  side  of  the  river 
Tamar :  an  event  which  took  place  some  considerable 
time  before  the  reign  of  King  ^Ethelstan.   Now,  we  know 
of  no  place  where  the  bishop  could  have  then  seated 
himself  more  conveniently  than  the  monastery  of  Saint 
Petrock.    Here  then,  possibly,  he  and  his  successors  may 
have  continued  to  exercise  their  episcopal  functions  until 
the  entire  submission  of  the  county  to  the  Saxon  power, 
and  until  the  English  sovereign  thought  fit,  in  his  royal 
bounty,  to  reinstate  the  bishop  at  the  former  see  of  Saint 
Germans ;  and  we  are  by  no  means  sure  that  the  charter 
of  King  ^Ethelred  may  not  have  had  that  object  in  view. 
At  all  events,  upon  this  happening,  the  formal  annex 
ation  of  Saint  Petrock's  monastery  to  the  see  would 
seem  naturally  to  follow,  as  it  would  give  a  permanency 
and  legal  validity  to  that  connection  between  them  which 
previously  had  been  only  casual,  and  possibly  without 
the  sanction  of  competent  authority.    Under  a  condition 
of  things  such  as  we  have  suggested,  we  find  no  difficulty 
in  comprehending  how  it  happened  that  Saint  Petrock's 
came  to  be  regarded  as  the  place  of  the  see  as  well  as 
Saint  Germans.  We  can  also  understand  how  it  was  that 
while  one  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Saint  Germans  was 
alienated  from  the  monastery  to  support  the  Exeter  see, 
no  portion  of  the  estates  of  Saint  Petrock  was  so  appro 
priated.     The  former  falling  to  the  English  crown  by 
right  of  conquest,  the  monarch  would  have  had  a  right 
to  dispose  of  its  possessions,  while  no  such  right  existed 
with  regard  to  Saint  Petrock's. 

On  looking  at  the  several  facts  from  the  point  of  view 
now  suggested,  they  acquire  a  harmony  and  consistency 
which  previously  were  wanting,  and  the  obscurities  which 
surrounded  the  subject  seem  to  disappear.  Nevertheless, 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  103 

inasmuch  as  this  assumption  of  a  British  see  at  Saint 
Germans  with  a  compulsory  removal  to  Saint  Petrock's, 
however  probable  it  may  appear  to  our  own  mind,  and 
however  well  adapted  it  may  be  to  remove  the  difficulties 
which,  without  it,  we  labour  under,  is  supported  by  no 
positive  proof,  we  cannot  ask  for  an  unqualified  accept 
ance  of  it,  but  only  for  such  a  degree  of  acquiescence  as 
it  may  be  thought  fairly  entitled  to. 

The  reason  assigned  in  King  Eadward's  charter  for 
the  removal  of  the  two  sees  to  Exeter,  was  the  better 
security  which  that  town  afforded  against  the  attacks  of 
pirates,  to  which  it  is  stated,  "  the  Cornish  and  Crediton 
churches"   had   been  subjected.      The  Bodleian  MS., 
which  ascribes  the  act  to  Leofrick,  also  represents  him 
as  having  this  object  in  view.     The  sincerity  of  these 
statements  is  suspected  by  Dr.  Whitaker  ;*    and  on   a 
review   of    all   the   circumstances,    there    appear   some 
grounds  for  this  suspicion.     Pope  Leo's  letter,  addressed 
to  the  King  in  compliance  with  Leofrick's  request,  makes 
no  suggestion  of  this  kind  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  merely 
insists  on  the  impropriety  of  the  see  being  in  a  village 
instead  of  a  city,  and  expresses  surprise  that  Leofrick,  as 
well  as  other  prelates,  should  so  act.    This  was  evidently 
an  allusion  to  the  canons  of  the  church,  which  required 
that  bishops  should  reside  in  the  large  towns.     In  the 
reign  of  William  the  Conqueror,  a  decree  of  the  Anglican 
Church  was  passed  to  enforce  this  rule.2     Mr.  Kemble 
observes  that  the  first  Norman  prelates  removed  many  of 
the  cathedrals  from  obscure  sites,  to  the  cities  which  they 
now  adorn.     Whether  this  reform  sprang  from  a  sincere 
desire  to  give  increased  efficiency  to  the  church,  or  from 

1  Even  Exeter  had  not  proved  a  sufficient  defence  against  the  Danish  attack 
of  A.D.  1003. 
•  William  of  Malincsbury,  De  Reg.  Angl.  book  lii. 


104  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

the  luxurious  habits  and  love  of  ostentation  which  dis 
tinguished  the  continental  clergy,  of  whom  large  numbers 
had  been  introduced  at  that  time  into  the  English  Church, 
it  is  impossible  to  say.  We  shall  also  remember  that 
the  services  of  Bishop  Lyving  to  the  court,  had  been 
rewarded  by  the  union  of  the  three  sees  of  Worcester, 
Devon,  and  Cornwall,  in  his  own  person ;  and  that  his 
successor  Leofrick  was  the  King's  Chancellor,  as  well  as 
Chaplain,  and  one  of  the  many  French  ecclesiastics  which 
the  King's  partiality  for  Frenchmen  had  introduced  into 
the  Anglican  Church.  His  new  episcopacy  at  Exeter,  as 
we  have  seen,  was  inaugurated  by  the  presence  of  the 
monarch  and  his  consort,  and  an  assemblage  of  nobles 
and  dignitaries  of  the  church.  As  he  was  evidently  a 
favourite  with  the  sovereign,  we  may  suspect  that  the 
union  of  the  Devon  and  Cornish  sees  in  his  favour  was 
not  wholly  free  from  motives  which  had  reference  to  his 
personal  interest.  Indeed  the  position  of  the  Cornish 
prelate,  if  an  Englishman,  had  never  probably  been 
much  to  be  envied ;  separated  from  his  Saxon  brethren, 
and  in  the  midst  of  a  Celtic  people,  alien  in  blood  and 
langua'ge,1  and  almost  in  religion,  his  situation  could  not 

1  The  little  which  is  known  of  the  Cornish  language  is  far  from  having 
exhausted  the  subject.  We  should  like  to  have  seen  the  researches  of  the 
learned  Edward  Lhuyd  followed  up  by  some  worthy  successor  in  this  country. 
The  Celtic  tongues  of  the  British  islands  have  lately  been  treated  very  fully  by 
a  foreigner:  we  refer  to  Professor  Zeuss'  Grammatica  Celtica,  2  vols.  Leipsic, 
1853.  The  ardovir  of  this  gentleman,  as  we  learn  from  the  preface,  led  him  to 
visit  distant  parts  of  the  Continent,  and  even  this  country,  to  inspect  such 
ancient  MSS.  as  were  to  be  met  with;  and  it  is  somewhat  unsatisfactory  to  find 
that  he  impugns  the  accuracy  of  a  text-book  so  well  known  as  Dr.  Pryce's 
Cornish  Vocabulary ,  based  on  the  ancient  MS.  in  the  Cotton  Library ;  at  the 
same  time  he  subjoins  what  he  assures  us  is  a  more  faithful  copy  of  that  MS. 
He  says : — 

"  Vocabularium  hoc,  nusquam  antehac  plene  et  recte  typis  expressum  (sunt 
omissa  et  corrupta  multa  apud  Pryce  et  Courson)  ex  codice  ipso  descripsi  et  ut 
legitur  in  eo  ad  verbum  in  fine  hujus  operis  addidi." 

Mr.  D.  Gilbert's  edition  of  the  Cornish  poem  of  Mount  Calvary,  he  pro- 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  105 

have  been  one  of  comfort,  and  perhaps  not  even  of  dig 
nity.  It  would  not  seem  unnatural  that  he  should  prefer 
to  exchange  it  for  a  residence  in  Exeter,  which  had  now 
become  a  populous  and  thoroughly  English  town.  But, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  motives  which  led  to  the 
removal  of  the  Cornish  see,  we  are  certain  that  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  Cornish  people  were  not  deemed 
of  sufficient  importance  to  be  regarded  as  an  obstacle ; 
and  whilst  its  revenues  were  appropriated,  in  part  at 
least,  to  enhance  the  splendour  and  dignity  of  the  Exeter 
episcopate,  the  unfortunate  Cornish-Celts  were  left  to 
their  own  devices,  or  to  such  feeble  influences  as  a  dis 
tant  prelate  and  a  few  local  clergy  could  exercise  over 
their  flocks. 

Before  we  dismiss  our  subject  it  will  not  be  out  of 
place  to  advert,  although  but  briefly,  to  the  evidences 
supplied  by  such  architectural  remains  as  now  exist.  At 
Bodmin  we  believe  nothing  of  importance  will  be  found 
which  can  be  assigned  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  period,  or 
even  to  any  very  remote  age.  The  site  of  the  ancient 
priory  is  admitted  to  be  now  occupied  with  a  private 
and  modern  residence,  where  a  few  fragments  only  of 
sculptured  stones,  of  an  ancient  date,  are  said  to  be  pre 
served.  The  parish  church,  which  is  close  to  the  priory, 
and  usually  deemed1  to  have  once  belonged  to  it,  is  a 
large  building,  but  without  any  striking  peculiarity  and 
can  claim  no  earlier  date  than  A.D.  1469-71,  at  which 

nounces  to  be  so  inaccurate  as  to  make  one  suppose  that  even  the  errors  of  the 
press  had  not  been  corrected  : — 

"  Male  certe  se  habet  cornicus  textus  hujus  editionis,  tarn  male,  ut  vix  credi 
possit,  correctionem  esse  factam  in  eo  vel  sphalmatum  typothetarum." 

M.  Coursoii's  Comparative  Glossary  will  be  found  in  his  Histoire  des  Peuples 
Bretons  dans  la  Oaule  et  dans  les  lies  Britanniques.  Paris,  1846. 

1  But  it  is  now  thought  otherwise.  William  of  Worcester,  who  visited  the 
place  in  11-78,  describes  the  parish  church  and  conventual  church  as  distinct 
buildings. 


106  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

period  it  was  rebuilt.  Within  the  churchyard,  and  at 
its  eastern  end,  is  a  small  chapel,  the  timeworn  exterior 
of  which  bespeaks  a  higher  antiquity.  But  its  beautiful 
eastern  window,  of  the  Decorated  style,  forbids  our  sup 
posing  it  to  have  preceded  the  church,  in  point  of  time, 
by  much  more  than  a  century. 

At  St.  Germans  we  shall  meet  with  objects  of  greater 
interest.  Of  the  ancient  priory  it  is  true  no  vestige  now 
remains  which  can  with  certainty  be  ascribed  to  it ;  and 
its  site  is  now  occupied  with  the  mansion  of  Port  Eliot, 
the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Saint  Germans,  whose  ancestry 
have  been  its  owners  almost  from  the  time  when  the  mo 
nastery  was  dissolved.  The  conventual  but  now  parish 
church,  however,  stands  close  by  it,  and  presents  to  us 
a  venerable  and  imposing  monument  of  a  remote  age. 
The  body  of  the  church,  although  much  curtailed  of  its 
primitive  proportions,  is  still  a  spacious  and  handsome 
structure,  but  possessing  no  special  claims  on  the  atten 
tion  of  the  antiquary,  which  will  be  mainly  directed  to 
its  western  facade.  Here  a  gable,  surmounted  with  a 
cross,  is  flanked  on  either  side  with  a  tower  raised  to  a 
considerable  elevation  above  the  church.  Beneath  the 
gable  is  a  central  doorway,  forming  a  prominent  and 
remarkable  feature  of  the  building.  As  is  usual  in  the 
Norman  construction,  it  consists  of  a  circular  arch, 
deeply  recessed,  and  profusely  enriched  with  concentric 
bands  of  sculptured  mouldings,  among  which  the  well- 
known  chevron  ornament  is  conspicuous.  Time  and  the 
elements  have  not  spared  this  elaborate  work  of  art. 
Its  finer  lines,  and  more  delicate  traceries,  have  in  great 
measure  disappeared ;  and  the  artist's  labour  of  love  is 
hastening  to  complete  decay.  The  tower  on  the  southern 
side  is  of  square  form ;  the  upper  part,  as  we  may  infer 
from  its  window  of  the  Decorated  style,  appearing  to  be 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  107 

of  more  modern  construction  than  the  basement,  which 
is  characterised  by  round  arched  openings.  This  por 
tion  is  evidently  of  coequal  age  with  the  gable  and 
central  doorway,  and  likewise  with  the  tower  on  the 
north  side,  which  also  is  distinguished  by  similar  open 
ings.  This  tower,  unlike  the  other,  is  square  only  below, 
and  in  its  upper  half  assumes  the  somewhat  unusual 
but  graceful  form  of  an  octagon.  Although  still  entire, 
and  preserving  its  original  stateliness,  it  is  now  embraced 
on  every  side  by  the  clasping  ivy,  the  foliage  of  which, 
falling  in  thick  clusters,  conceals  from  view  the  decrepi 
tude  of  a  hoary  age.  On  entering  the  church  by  the 
western  door,  an  arched  opening  on  either  hand  admits 
to  the  basement  story  of  each  tower,  from  whence  a 
similar  arch  formerly  afforded  entrance  to  the  corre 
sponding  side  aisle.  These  arches  are  pointed,  and 
spring  from  columns,  or  rather  piers,  possessing  some 
what  of  that  massive  character  which  is  peculiar  to  the 
Norman  age.  They  are  in  great  perfection,  and  will  be 
best  seen  from  within  the  towers,  where  they  have  been 
less  exposed.  The  spectator  may  well  be  surprised  at 
the  marvellous  sharpness  and  freshness  of  the  workman 
ship,  which  seems  now,  after  the  lapse  of  centuries,  to 
have  just  left  the  workman's  hands.1  Now,  this  occur 
rence  cotemporaneously,  of  round  and  pointed  arches, 
indicates  what  is  termed  the  later  or  semi-Norman  period 
of  architecture ;  which  it  is  well  understood  prevailed 
through  most  of  the  twelfth  century. 

It  will  be  evident  from  this  description,  that  Saint 
Germans  church  has  no  pretensions  to  claim  so  early  a 
date  as  the  time  of  the  Cornish  episcopate,  which  indeed 

1  The  arches  in  the  body  of  the  church,  and  supporting  its  roof,  are  not 
without  interest;  those  in  contiguity  with  the  western  gable  are  evidently 
coeval  with  it. 


108  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

it  falls  short  of,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  by  half  a  century, 
There  will  be  found  at  Exeter  a  record  that  Bishop 
Bronescombe  consecrated  the  conventual  church  at  Saint 
Germans  A.D.  1261.  This  date,  on  the  other  hand,  seems 
somewhat  too  low  for  any  building  of  the  semi-Norman 
character;  and  we  must  presume  that  some  portions  only 
of  the  church  had  been  then  reconstructed.1 

Near  the  church  is  the  farm  of  Cuddenbeake,  belong 
ing  to  the  manor  of  the  same  name.2  The  ownership  of 
this  property,  not  many  years  since,  passed  from  the 
hands  of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter  into  those  of  the  noble 
family  at  Port  Eliot.  We  cannot  doubt  that  this  pro 
perty  was  comprised  in  the  twelve  hides  of  land  appro 
priated  to  the  bishop  when  the  see  was  removed  to 
Exeter.  The  farm-house  is  seated  on  a  point  of  land 
projecting  into  the  estuary  or  tidal  waters  of  the  Lyner. 
It  is  an  old  building,  but  has  no  claims  to  our  notice 

1  There  is  not,  however,  so  great  a  difference  of  time  as  to  preclude  the  possi 
bility  of  this  consecration  having  reference  to  the  building  we  have  just  described, 
if  we  may  be  permitted  to  conjecture  that  the  semi-Norman  style  lingered  in 
the  remoter  parts  of  the  kingdom  some  time  after  it  had  fallen  into  disuse 
elsewhere. 

2  Dr.  Whitaker  has  investigated  the  derivation  of  this  word  with  his  usual 
research,  and  referred  it  to  a  Celto-Norman  etymon,  signifying  a  "  wooded  pro 
montory."     There  would  be  no  objection  to  this  derivation,  but  for  the  circum 
stance  that  in  very  old  documents  the  word  is  written  "Cotyngbek"  ["coment 
que  la  manoir  de  Cotyngbek" — Correspondence  respecting  Saint  Berian  temp. 
Ed.  III.  Oliver's  Monasticon,  foil.  10],  evidently  " cot-in-bek,"  or  "the  dwelling 
on  the  beak,"  the  first  word  being  of  English  instead  of  Celtic  origin.     "Bek  " 
probably  signified  in  this  instance  a  narrow  piece  of  water  such  as  that  on  which 
Cuddenbeake  is  situate.     We  shall  find  it  so  defined  in  a  charter  dated,  accord 
ing  to  Mr.  Kemble,  before  1022.     [No.  733,  Cod.  Dip.~\     «'  Inter  haec  stagna 
est  aqua  angusta  duorum  stadiorurn  longa  quse  uocatur  Trendmaere  bece. — In 
australi  parte  illius  est  aqua  angusta  trium  stadiorum  longa  quae  uocatur  Scsel- 
fremsere  bece, — in  cuius  fine  est  stagnum  quod  uocatur  Scselfremaere,"  &c.    Even 
here  it  may  possibly  signify  "mouth,"  synonymous  with  "bill"  and  "beak." 
But  "bece"  is  a  Saxon  term  for  river,  and  "beck,"  in  the  north  of  England, 
is  still  used  for  a  brook,  assimilating  with  the  Q-erman  "  bach." 

Cuddenbeake  was  termed  a  borough  as  well  as  manor,  but  never  sent  mem 
bers  to  the  House  of  Commons. 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  109 

either  for  its  antiquity  or  otherwise.  It  has  been  sup 
posed,  that  on  its  site  stood  the  bishop's  palace,  when 
St.  Germans  was  the  place  of  the  see ;  and  Dr.  Whitaker 
appears  to  adopt  this  opinion.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that  it  is  purely  conjectural,  and  rests  on  no 
authority.  Indeed  we  are  far  from  being  satisfied,  that 
in  those  early  times  the  Bishop  of  Cornwall  had  a  sepa 
rate  residence.  For  many  ages  the  prelates  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  Church,  as  we  learn  from  Beda,  led  a  life  of 
apostolic  simplicity.  They  were  without  wealth,  jour 
neying  sometimes  on  foot,  and  making  a  single  room 
their  abode.  They  probably  resided  in  common,  with  a 
body  of  clergy  or  canons,  attached  to  some  church,  or  in 
some  monastic  establishment.  By  the  irruption  of  foreign 
manners,  about  the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  see,  these 
simple  habits  of  the  prelacy  underwent,  no  doubt,  a  mate 
rial  change ;  but  antecedently,  we  should  be  disposed  to 
think  the  Cornish  bishop  would  have  resided  within  the 
walls  of  the  monastic  institutions  at  Saint  Germans  and 
Saint  Petrock's.  Mr.  Lysons  styles  Cuddenbeake  House 
a  country  seat  of  the  bishops.  The  proximity  of  the 
priory  may  have  induced  them,  in  comparatively  modern 
times,  to  erect  such  a  building  on  this  spot,  which  was 
their  own  property,  to  be  temporarily  used  when  their 
duties  called  them  into  the  county.  But  should  we  as 
sume  that  the  Cornish  bishop  had  a  separate  residence, 
we  should  without  hesitation  assign  it  to  this  locality.1 

1  At  a  subsequent  period,  the  manor  of  Cuddenbeake  evidently  took  the 
first  position  among  the  episcopal  estates  in  Cornwall ;  for  we  find  that  in 
the  controversy  between  the  Black  Prince  and  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  respecting 
the  exemption  of  St.  Berian  from  the  bishop's  jurisdiction,  the  prince  reminds 
the  bishop  that  this  manor,  with  other  lands,  had  been  conferred  on  the  see  by 
the  royal  ancestors  of  the  prince,  for  the  discharge  of  the  episcopal  functions  : 
"  la  manoir  do  Cotyngbck  et  autrcs  terres  esteient  a  ceo  qui  est  dit,  as  evesques 
du  dit  lieu  par  nos  progenitours  doneez  et  grauntees  pour  toute  telle  adminis 
tration,"  &c. — See  Oliver's  Honast.  St.  Berian.  [The  right  of  the  prince  seems 
to  have  been  finally  established  ;  but  by  a  recent  act  of  Parliament  (13  and  14 


110  THE    EPISCOPATE    OF    CORNWALL. 

We  may  learn  from  this  brief  view  of  the  architectural 
remains,  that  they  are  not  calculated  to  throw  much  light 
on  the  subject  of  our  inquiry.  Nevertheless,  the  style 
of  grandeur  belonging  to  those  portions  of  the  conven 
tual  church  at  Saint  Germans,  which  have  escaped  the 
ravages  of  time,  is  sufficient  to  impress  our  minds  with 
somewhat  exalted  notions  of  the  building  in  its  original 
integrity,  as  well  as  of  the  wealth,  power,  and  taste  of 
the  ecclesiastical  body  which  gave  it  existence.  And 
even  in  this  impression  we  may  discern,  as  it  were,  a 
faint  shadow  or  reflection  of  the  episcopal  seat;  for 
nowhere  else  do  we  find  similar  traces  of  those  elements 
which  would  have  been  suitable,  if  not  essential  to  the 
proper  maintenance  of  its  power  and  dignity. 

Having  now  brought  to  a  close  this  investigation  of 
the  Cornish  Episcopate  through  all  its  numerous  intri 
cacies  we  shall  possibly  have  retorted  upon  us  the 
awkward  interrogative  "  Cui  bono  ?  "  And  in  an  age  so 
eminently  practical  as  the  present,  when  no  pursuits  but 
such  as  have  an  immediate  application  to  the  wants  and 
interests  of  mankind,  are  likely  to  receive  much  favour 
from  the  public,  we  acknowledge  that  it  would  not  be 
easy  to  return  a  conclusive  answer  to  this  question. 
Nevertheless  we  console  ourselves  with  the  reflection, 
that  if  no  subject  were  permitted  to  exercise  the  intellect 
but  such  as  strictly  fell  within  the  class  of  the  useful 
and  practical,  how  greatly  would  the  sphere  of  human 
knowledge  be  contracted,  and  we  may  add,  how  greatly 
the  sum  of  human  happiness  be  diminished  !  There  is, 
we  believe,  implanted  in  our  minds  a  natural  longing 
for  the  truth,  for  its  own  sake,  and  apart  from  all  consi- 

Vict.  c.  76),  the  Duke  of  Cornwall  has  relinquished  the  exemption.]  Bishop 
Lacy  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Prior  of  Launceston,  dated  from  Cuttynbek, 
Aug.  14, 1445. — Oliver's  Monast.,  Supp.  ii.  p.  3. 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  Ill 

derations  of  its  utility.  Even  in  things  with  which  we 
have  little  or  no  concern,  we  dislike  to  think  that  we  may 
lie  under  a  mistake.  It  is  in  all  matters  a  pleasing  satis 
faction  to  know  what  is  entitled  to  our  belief,  and  what  is 
not ;  to  be  able  to  separate  the  true  from  the  false,  the 
known  from  the  unknown ;  and  to  assign  to  the  latter 
their  just  limits.  The  mind,  perplexed  and  wearied  with 
fruitless  endeavours  to  solve  its  doubts,  like  the  dove 
hovering  over  the  abyss  of  waters,  seeking  in  vain  where 
she  may  rest  her  foot,  rejoices  to  obtain  repose  within 
the  ark  of  certainty  and  truth.  Should  our  pages  serve 
but  to  afford  the  inquirer  some  such  gratification  as  this, 
they  will  not  have  been  written  in  vain. 


APPENDIX. 


115 


A  P  P  E  N  1)  I  X  . 


No.  I. 

King  Mthelstarts  Gift  of  Relics  to  the  Monastery  of  Saint 
Mary  and  Saint  Peter,  at  Exeter,  on  his  founding  the 
same.1 

[From  Dugdale's  Monasticon;   transcribed   from   the  MS.  in   the  Bodleian 

Library.] 

HER  pputelaS  on  Sipum  ^epjiite  be  Sam  haljum  neliquium 
J?e  y8]?elpta  pe  pup)?pulla  kynmj  jeap  into  Sancta  ClOanian 
anb  Sancte  Petjiep  mynptpe  on  Exancej-tpe,  Eobe  to  loj:e, 
poj\  hi)-  faple  alij-ednej-j-e  eallum  )?am  )?e  J?a  haljan  jrope 
jej'eca]?  anb  jepupfia)?  to  ecejie  liaele. 

tUitoblice  pe  ilca  kynmj  7€]?elj*ta  )?a  ]?a  lie  sejztep  hij-  paedeji 
Gadpapd  cynejuce  on^enj,  -\  J?ujih  Eobej-  ji}:e  ana  jepeolb 
eallej-  Gnjlanbef  ]?e  sejx  him  manege  cynmsej*  betpix  hcom 
haej:bon,  ]?a  com  he  on  jiimnc  j'sel  hibep  to  Gxancej'tpe,  j*pa 
j-pa  het  op  j-o]?j:8ej*tpa  manna  paje  jepyjm  jepseb  psep.  ^  he 
onjan  pmeajan  -}  f»eahtian  hpset  him  pselopt  psene  to  jepon- 
|?ienne  op  hip  cynelicum  mabmum  Eob  to  lope  anb  him 
j'ylpum  anb  hip  ]?eobe  to  ecepe  ]?eappe. 

De  x/Blmihtija  Eob,  J?a  J?e  eallum  }?am  J?e  pel  )?enca);  pimle 
ip  pultum  anb  pi]\]?jiienb,  jepenb  )?am  Eoban  cynm^e  )?one 

1  Page  70. 


116  APPENDIX. 

3e)?anc  on  ^  he  mib  J?am  jepytenblicum  madmuin  J?a  unateo- 
pienhcan  mabmap  beptan  pceolbe.  he  penbe  ]?a  opep  pse 
jetpipe  men  anb  gepceabpipe  anb  hij  pepbon  ppa  pibe  lanbep 
j-pa  his  papan  mihton,  anb  mib  J?am  madmum  begeaton  ]?a 
beoppup]?ej-tan  mabmap  ]?e  aepne  open  eon)?an  bejitene  mihton 
beon.  J>a  paef  halijbom  j-e  msej-ta  oj:  jepilcum  ^topnm  pyban 
anb  j-yban  jejabenob.  anb  hij  }>one  )?am  ponej-seban  cynmj 
bnohcon.  anb  j-se  cymnje  mib  nncelne  blyjrjpe  Eobe  psej- 
"Sancobe. 

He  bebeab  ]?a  'S  man  hen  on  Gxancej-tjie,  )?seji  psen  him  seji 
Eob  'Sone  nyttpinj?an  je)?anc  on  bej-enbe,  mynj-teja  apsenan 
j*eeolbe.  Eobe  to  punfunmte,  and  'Ssejie  heopenlican  cpene 
j-anctam  ClOanian  Cnij-te^  mobeji,  anb  Sancte  Petpe  J?8ejia 
apoj-tola  ealbjie,  )?one  j- e  ilca  cyninj  him  to  munbbonan  ge- 
conen  hsejzbe.  anb  he  jeaj:  Jnben  inn  pix  anb  tpentij  cotthjza, 
anb  J>one  )?pybban  dsel  fsej-  ponej-seban  hahj  domej*  fybejimn 
let  bon,  hif  YaP^e  to  ecejie  aly^ebnyj-j-e  anb  eallum  )?am  to 
hylpe  }>e  }>a  haljan  j- tope  J?e  j-e  hali^dom  on  if  mib  geleajzan 
gej- eca]>  anb  pujijnaj?. 

Nu  pille  pe  eop  j-egcan  but  an  selcerie  lea^unje  hpset  ye 
halijdom  ip  J?e  hep  on  fij-um  haljum  mynj-tpe  -iy,  and 
jeppitu  pojnj?  mib  "Se  jej-puteliaj?  butan  selcepe  tpeonunje 
hpset  anjia  jehpilc  "Sejia  halijboma  beo. 

Epopt,  op  "Sam  j-ylpan  beojipyr^an  tjieope  )?8ejie  haljan 
pobe  $e  Cpij-t  on  J>popobe  anb  uj-  ealle  J?sep  on  op  J^sef  beop- 
lep  anpalbe  alyp be. 


Note. — We  have  inserted,  though  with  some  hesitation,  translations  of  all 
the  documents  and  other  evidences  contained  in  the  Appendix — conceiving 
that,  to  some  readers,  they  may  possibly  be  acceptable. 


APPENDIX. 


117 


Translation  of  the  foregoing. 

HERE  is  it  witnessed,  by  this  writing,  concerning  the  holy 
relics  which  ^Ethelsta,  the  worshipful  King,  gave  unto  Saint 
Mary  and  Saint  Peter's  Minster,  at  Exancestre,  for  the  praise 
of  God,  for  his  own  salvation,  and  for  the  everlasting  health 
of  all  those  who  that  holy  place  seek  and  honour. 

Verily  the  same  King  ^Ethelsta,  when  that  he,  after  his 
father  Eadward  took  to  the  kingdom,  and  through  God's 
gift  alone  wielded  all  England,  which  before  him  many  kings 
betwixt  them  had;  then  came  he  on  some  occasion  hither  to 
Exancestre,1  so  as  it  was  aforetime  said,  in  the  sayings  of 
truthful  men ;  and  he  began  to  meditate  and  consider  what  it 
were  best  for  him  to  promote,  by  means  of  his  kingly  riches, 
for  God's  praise,  and  for  his  own  and  his  people's  everlasting 
advantage. 

The  Almighty  God,  who  to  all  those  who  purpose  well,  is 
ever  both  a  support  and  assistance,  sent  to  the  good  King 
the  thought  that  he,  out  of  his  corruptible  riches,  should 
obtain  imperishable  riches.  Then  sent  he  over  sea  true  men 
and  discreet,  and  they  fared  to  lands  as  far  away  as  they  could 
fare,  and  with  those  riches  obtained  the  most  precious  riches 
that  ever  upon  earth  could  be  obtained.  Then  was  there  the 
greatest  number  of  holy  relics  gathered  together,  out  of  every 
place,  far  and  wide ;  and  they  brought  them  then  to  the  afore 
said  King,  and  by  the  King  with  much  joy  was  God  thanked. 

Then  commanded  he  that  here,  at  Exancestre,  there  where 
to  him  God  the  needed  thought  had  sent,  a  minster  should 
be  raised,  for  the  honour  of  God  and  of  the  heavenly  Queen, 

1  It  is  well  known  that  a  gemot  or  Saxon  parliament  was  held  by  ^Ethelstan 
at  Exeter,  at  which  certain  dooms  or  laws  were  passed,  but  the  date  is  not  ascer 
tained.  There  was  a  gemot  at  Exeter  A.D.  928,  which  may  have  been  the  time. 
— Saxons  in  England,  vol.  ii.  253.  It  is  said  that  jEthelstan  was  in  Exeter 
A.D.  926,  the  year  after  his  accession  to  the  crown,  and  in  which  his  subjugation 
of  Howel  is  recorded. — Sed  Qu. 


118  APPENDIX. 

holy  Mary,  Christ' s  mother,  and  Saint  Peter  the  chief  Apostle, 
whom  the  same  King  had  chosen  for  his  protector ;  and  he 
gave  thereunto  six-and-twenty  cotlifs  (manors),  and  the  third 
part  of  the  aforesaid  holy  relics  he  thereunto  left  for  a  gift  for 
his  souPs  everlasting  salvation,  and  the  help  of  all  those  who 
that  holy  place,  wherein  those  sacred  relics  are,  with  faith 
should  seek  and  honour. 

Now  desire  we  to  declare  unto  you,  without  any  omission, 
what  those  holy  relics  are  which  are  here  in  this  holy  minster ; 
and  the  writings  here  set  forth,  which  witness,  without  any 
uncertainty,  what  every  one  of  those  holy  relics  be. 

First : — of  the  selfsame  precious  wood  of  the  holy  cross,  on 
which  Christ  suffered,  and  all  us  thereon  from  the  devil's 
power  delivered. 

(Here  follows  a  long  list  of  other  relics.) 


No.  II. 

Charter  of  King  d£  their  ed.1 
A.D.  994. 

[No.  686,  Cod.  Dip.  MS.  Harl.  358,  fol.  31.  N.  Mon.  ii.  p.  535.] 
*J<  2  RECTOR  altipolorum  culrainis  atque  architector  summae 
fabricae  aethereae  aulae,  ex  nihilo  quidem  cuncta  creauit,  ccelum, 
scilicet,  et  terrain,  et  omnia  quae  in  eis  sunt,  Candida  quidem 
angelica  agmina,  solem,  lunam,  lucidaque  astra,  et  caetera 
quae  super  firmamento  sunt ;  mundi  autem  fabricam  inenarra- 
bili  disponens  ordine  ut  Genesis  testatur,  "  Et  honrinem  sexto 
die  formauit  ad  similitudinem  suam,"  Adam  uidelicet  quadri- 
formi  plasmatum  materia,  unde  nunc  constat  genus  humanum, 
quae  in  terris  moratur,  et  ima  terra  laruarica  latibula,  ubi  et 
Lucifer  cum  decimo  ordine  per  superbiam  de  ccelo  ruit.  Sed 
et  hoc  inuidet  pestifer  Chelidrus  protoplastum  a  deo  conditum 
intellexerat  ut  hoc  impleret,  a  quo  ipse  miser,  et  satelliti  illius 
de  ccelo  proiecti  sunt.  Heu!  quidem  boni  creati  sunt  sed 
miser abiliter  decepti.  Ideo  inuidus  Zabulus  totis  uiribus 
homini  inuidet,  suadet  mulieri,  mulier  uiro,  per  suasioneni 
atque  per  inobedientiam  ambo  decepti  sunt  fraudulenter  per 
gustum  pomi  ligni  uetiti,  atque  amcenitate  Paradisi  deiecti 
sunt  in  hoc  aerumnoso  saeculo,  et  loetum  sibi  ac  posteris  suis 
promeruerunt,  atque  in  tetrum  abyssi  demersi  sunt.  Sed  hoc 
misericors  et  piissimus  pater  indoluit  perire  tamdiu  nobilem 
creaturam  sui  imaginem ;  misertus  est  generi  humano ;  misit 
nobis  in  tempore,  id  est  post  quinque  millia  annorum,  pro- 
prium  filium  suum,  ut  mundum  perditum  iterum  renouaret ; 
ut  sicut  mulier  genuit  mortem  in  mundo,  ita  per  mulierem 
enixa  est  nobis  uita  in  mundo;  et  sicut  per  delictum  Adae 

1  Page  76. 

2  A  charter  of  King  Cnut,  A.D.  1019,  No.  729,  Cod,  Dip.  has  a  proem  similar 
to  this. 


120  APPENDIX. 

omnes  corruimus,  ita  per  obedientiam  Christ!  omnes  surrexi- 
mus ;  et  sicut  mors  per  lignum  introiuit,  ita  et  uita  per  lignum 
sanctse  crucis  uenit ;  et  antiquum  inimicum  superauit;  et  fortis 
fortem  alligauit,  et  in  imo  barathro  retrusit :  iuste  periit  qui 
iniuste  decepit,  atque  omnes  antiquas  turmas  a  fauce  pessimi 
leonis  eripuit,  et  ouem  perditam  in  humeris  posuit,  et  ad  anti- 
quam  patriam  reduxit,  et  decimum  ordinem  impleuit.  Unde 
ego  .JSftelredus,  compunctus  dei  misericordia,  totius  Albionis 
cseterarumque  gentium  triuiatim  persistentium  basileus,  dum 
plerumque  cogitarem  de  huius  sseculi  caduci  rebus  transitoriis, 
quomodo  superni  arbitris  examine,  cuncta  quse  uidentur  uana 
sunt,  et  quse  non  uidentur  seterna,  et  cum  transitoriis  rebus 
perpetua  prsemia  adquirantur.  Qua  de  re,  nunc  patefacio 
omnibus  catholicis,  quod  cum  consilio  et  licentia  episcoporum 
ac  principum,  et  omnium  optimatum  meorum,  pro  amore  do- 
mini  nostri  Ihesu  Christi  atque  sancti  confessoris  Germani 
necnon  et  beati  eximii  Petroci,  pro  redemptione  animse  mese, 
et  pro  absolutione  criminum  meorum  donaui  episcopium 
Ealdredi  episcopi,  id  est  in  prouincia  Cornubise  ut  libera  sit, 
eique  subiecta  omnibusque  posteris  eius,  ut  ipse  gubernet 
atque  regat  suam  parochiam  sicuti  alii  episcopi  qui  sunt  in 
mea  ditione,  locusque  atque  regimen  sancti  Petroci  semper  in 
potestate  eius  sit  successorumque  illius.  Itaque  omnium  rega- 
lium  tributorum  libera  sit,  atque  laxata  ui  exactorum  operum, 
poenaliumque  causarum,  necnon  et  furum  comprehensione, 
cunctaque  saeculi  grauedine,  absque  sola  expeditione,  atque 
libera  perpetualiter  permaneat.  Quicunque  ergo  hoc  augere 
atque  multiplicare  uoluerit,  amplificet  deus  bona  illius  in 
regione  uiuentium,  paceque  nostra  conglutinata  uigens  et 
florens,  atque  inter  agmina  beatitudinis  tripudia  succedat,  qui 
nostrse  donationis  muneri  consentiat.  Si  quis  uero  tarn  epi- 
lemticus  philargurise  seductus  amentia,  quod  non  optamus, 
hanc  nostrse  eleemosynse  dapsilitatem  ausu  temerario  infrin- 
gere  temptauerit,  sit  ipse  alienatus  a  consortio  sanctse  dei 


APPENDIX.  121 

secclesise,  necnon  et  a  participatione  sacrosancti  corporis  et 
sanguinis  Ihesu  Christ!  filii  del,  per  quern  totus  terrarum  orbis 
ab  antique  human!  generis  inimico  liberatus  est,  et  cum  luda 
Christ!  proditore  sinistra  in  parte  deputatus,  ni  prius  hie  digna 
satisfactione  humilis  pcenituerit,  quod  contra  sanctam  dei 
secclesiam  rebellis  agere  prsesumpsit,  nee  in  uita  hac  practica 
ueniam,  nee  in  theorica  requiem  apostata  obtineat  ullam,  sed 
seternis  barathri  incendiis  trusus  iugiter  miserrimus  crucietur. 
Anno  dominicse  incarnationis  .DCCCC.XCIIII.  indictione  .vn. 
scripta  est  hsec  cartula  a  uenerabili  archiepiscopo  Sigerico 
Dorobernensis  secclesise  huius  munificentice  chirograph  a ;  hiis 
testibus  consentientibus,  quorum  inferius  nomina  decusatim 
domino  disponente  caraxantur. 

»J<  Ego  ^ESelredus  Britannise  totius  Anglorum  monarchus 
hoc  agise  crucis  taumate  roboraui.  »J«  Ego  Sigeric  Dorober 
nensis  secclesise  archiepiscopus  praefati  regis  beneuolentiae  laetus 
consensi.  »J<  Ego  ^Elfheah  prsesul  canonica  subscriptione 
manu  propria  hilaris  et  triumphans  subscripsi.  »J<  Ego  Ealdred 
plebis  dei  famulus  iubente  rege  signum  sanctse  crucis  plaudens 
impress!.  »J<  Ego  ^Elfwold  pontifex  agise  crucis  testudine  in- 
tepidus  hoc  donum  lepidissime  roboraui.  >J<  Ego  Ordbricht 
legis  dei  catascopus  hoc  eulogium  propria  chira  deuotus  con- 
solidaui.  »J<  Ego  jElfrich  episcopus  Wiltanse  ciuitatis  con 
sensi  et  subscripsi.  >J<  Ego  Wulfsye  episcopus  Shyreburnensis 
secclesise  consensi  et  subscripsi.  »J<  Ego  ^E^elwerd  dux. 
»J<  Ego  ^Elfric  dux.  >J<  Ego  Leofric  dux.  »J<  Ego  Leofwyne 
dux.  >J<  Ego  Leofric  abbas.  >J<  Ego  Alfred  abbas.  »J<  Ego 
yElfric  abbas.  >J<  Ego  Brichtelm  abbas.  ^  Ego  ^ESelmar 
minister.  >J<  Ego  Ordulf  minister.  »J<  Ego  Beorht^yold 
minister.  »J<  Ego  ^ESelmar  minister.  >J<  Ego  JElfric  minis 
ter.  >J<  Ego  ^Elfwine  minister.  *fc  Ego  Leofwyne  minister. 
»J<  Ego  Osulf  minister.1 

1  The  inflated  style,  the  affectation  of  grecisms  and  manifold  conceits,  ob 
servable  in  this  and  the  succeeding  documents,  are  characteristic  of  all  Anglo- 
Saxon  charters  of  the  age  to  which  these  belong.  In  a  work  of  this  kind  it  will 


122  APPENDIX. 

Translation  of  King  Mthelretfs  Charter. 
A.D.  994. 

THE  RULER  of  high  heaven's  pinnacle,  and  Architect  of  the 
all-surpassing  fabric  of  the  ethereal  mansion,  out 
The  proem.  of  notlling  inaeed  created  all  things :  the  heaven, 
to  wit,  and  the  earth,  and  all  things  which  are  in  them ;  in 
deed  the  bright  angelic  hosts,  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  shining 
stars,  and  what  else  is  in  the  firmament :  but  disposing  the 
fabric  of  the  world  in  indescribable  order,  as  Genesis  wit- 
nesseth,  "And  on  the  sixth  day  he  made  man,  after  his  own 
likeness ; "  Adam,  to  wit,  moulded  out  of  four-form  matter ; 
whence  now  appear  the  race  of  men,  which  abide  on  the 
earth,  and  the  lowest  parts  of  the  earth,  the  secret  abodes 
of  demons,  where  even  Lucifer,  with  the  tenth  order,  through 
pride,  fell  from  heaven.  But,  moreover  the  pestiferous  Cheli- 
drus  (the  serpent)  hates  the  first  formed  man,  of  God  created ; 
he  had  understood  how  he  should  fill  up  that,  from  whence 
the  unhappy  one  himself  and  his  satellites  had  been  cast 
out  of  heaven.1  Alas !  good  indeed  were  they  created,  but 
miserably  beguiled.  So  envious  Zabulus  (Satan)  envies  man 
with  all  his  might;  persuades  the  woman,  the  woman  the 
man:  by  persuasion  and  disobedience,  both  were  beguiled, 
through  fraud,  by  tasting  the  fruit  of  the  forbidden  tree; 
and  from  the  pleasures  of  Paradise  were  cast  out  into  this 
sorrowful  world,  and  death  for  themselves  and  their  posterity 

not  be  expected  that  we  should  explain  the  nature  and  peculiarities  of  this  class 
of  writings.  We  can  only  refer  the  reader  to  such  authors  as  expressly  treat  of 
them,  especially  to  Mr.  Kemble's  Introduction  to  the  Cod.  Dip.,  where  the  sub 
ject  has  been  fully  and  ably  investigated. 

1  The  opinion  that  mankind  were  created  to  supply  the  vacancy  left  in  heaven 
by  the  expulsion  of  the  rebellious  angels,  was  seized  on  by  Milton,  and  em 
bodied  in  his  great  epic.  The  medieval  theologians  were  wont  to  distinguish 
the  angelic  hosts  according  to  the  following  nine  orders  : — 1.  Seraphim  ;  2.  Che 
rubim;  3.  Thrones;  4.  Dominations ;  5.  Yirtues  ;  6.  Powers;  7.  Princedoms ; 
8.  Archangels  ;  9.  Angels.  Hence  the  allusion  above  to  the  tenth  order. 


APPENDIX. 

merited,  aud  they  were  sunk  in  the  foul  abyss.     But  thereon 
the  merciful  and  most  loving  Father,  grieved  that  the  noble 
creature,  his  own  image,   should  so  long   perish;   he   took 
pity  on  mankind ;  he  sent  to  us  in  time,  that  is,  after  five 
thousand  years,  his  own  Son,  that  he  might  again  renew  the 
lost  world ;  that  as  the  woman  begot  death  into  the  world,  so 
by  the  woman  has  life  been  born  to  us  in  the  world ;  and  as 
by  the  offence  of  Adam  we  have  all  fallen,  so  by  the  obedience 
of  Christ  we  have  all  risen  again ;  and  as  death  entered  by  the 
tree,  so  too  life  has  come  by  the  tree  of  the  holy  cross,  and 
has  overcome  the  old  enemy ;  and  the  strong  has  bound  the 
strong,  and  thrust  him  down  into  the  lowest  gulf.    Justly  has 
he  perished  who  unjustly  deceived,  and  all  the  old  flocks  has 
he  snatched  from  the  jaw  of  the  worst  of  lions;  and  the  lost 
sheep  he  has  laid  on  his  shoulders,  and  brought  back  to  the  old 
country,  and  filled  up  the  tenth  order.    Whence  I,  ^Ethelred, 
moved  by  the  mercy  of  God,  King  of  all  Albion,  and  of  the 
other  nations  adjacent  thereto,  whilst  I  was  thinking  much  of 
the  transitory  things  of  this  failing  world,  how,  in  the  exa 
mination  of  the  supreme  Judge,  all  things  which  are  seen  are 
vain,  and  those  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal;    and  how, 
with  transitory  things,  perpetual  rewards  may  be  acquired : 
wherefore  I  now  make  known  to  all  Catholics,  that 
with  the  advice  and  permission  of  the  bishops  and 
princes,  and  of  all  my  nobles,  for  the  love  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  holy  Confessor  Germ  anus,  as  well  as  of  the 
blessed  excellent  Pretrocus,  for  the  redemption  of  my  soul, 
and  for  the  absolution  of  my  sins,  I  have  granted  the  bishop- 
rick  of  Ealdred  the  Bishop,  that  is,  in  the  province  of  Corn 
wall,  that  it  may  be  free,  and  subject  to  him  and  all  his  suc 
cessors;  that  he  may  govern  and  rule  his  diocese  as  other 
bishops  who  are  under  my  authority ;  and  the  place  and  rule 
of  Saint  Petrocus  may  be  always  in  his  power,  and  in  that  of 
his  successors.     And  so  that  it  mav  be  free  from  all  roval 


124  APPENDIX. 

tributes,  and  released  from  the  obligation  of  compulsory  works 
and  penal  liabilities  (but  with  the  apprehension  of  thieves), 
and  from  every  secular  burden,  military  service  only  excepted, 

and  so  free  perpetually  may  remain.  Whoever, 
'  therefore,  shall  wish  to  increase  and  multiply  this, 
may  God  enlarge  his  possessions  in  the  region  of  the  living ; 
and,  strong  and  flourishing  in  our  well-cemented  peace,  may 
he  attain  among  the  hosts  the  joys  of  blessedness,  who  shall 
consent  to  this  gift  of  our  presentation.  But  if  any  one  so 
diseased,  by  the  madness  of  the  love  of  money  seduced,  which 
we  desire  not,  this  liberality  of  our  charity  with  rash  endea 
vour  shall  try  to  violate,  may  he  be  alienated  from  the  fellow 
ship  of  God's  holy  Church,  as  well  as  from  the  participation  of 
the  most  holy  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
by  whom  the  whole  orb  of  the  earth  hath  been  delivered  from 
the  old  enemy  of  mankind ;  and  be  consigned  with  Judas,  the 
betrayer  of  Christ,  to  the  left-hand  part,  unless  he  shall  first, 
with  worthy  satisfaction,  humbly  repent,  because  he  hath  pre 
sumed  to  act  as  a  rebel  against  the  holy  Church  of  God ;  nor 
may  the  apostate  obtain  pardon  in  this  actual  life,  or  rest  in 
that  which  is  contemplated ;  but,  thrust  into  the  eternal  fires 
of  the  gulf,  may  he  be  for  ever  miserably  tormented.  In  the 

year  of  our  Lord's  incarnation  DCCCCXCIIII.,  in- 

diction  vn.,  is  written  this  charter,  by  the  vene 
rable  Archbishop  Sigerick,  of  the  church  of  Canterbury,  a 
chirograph  of  this  munificence ;  these  witnesses  consenting, 
whose  names  are  written  below,  according  to  their  rank,  as 
the  Lord  has  disposed  them. 

»J<  I,  ^Ethelred,  monarch  of  the  English  of  all  Britain,  with 

this  marvel  of  the  holy  cross,  have  corroborated. 

>J<  I,  Sigerick,  of  the  church  of  Canterbury,  arch 
bishop,  to  the  aforesaid  King's  benevolence  have  joyfully 
consented.  »J<  I,  ^Elfeah,  prelate,  with  canonical  subscrip 
tion,  by  my  own  hand,  cheerfully  and  triumphantly  have 


APPENDIX.  125 

subscribed.  >J<  I,  Ealdred,  servant  of  God's  people,  by  the 
King's  command,  the  sign  of  the  holy  cross  applaudingly  have 
impressed.  >J<  I,  ^Elfwold,  pontiff,  with  the  protection  of 
the  sacred  cross,  this  gift  warmly  and  most  heartily  have 
corroborated.  >J<  I,  Ordbricht,  of  God's  law  the  overlooker, 
this  commendation,  with  my  own  hand,  have  devotedly  con 
solidated.  »J<  I,  jElfrich,  bishop  of  the  city  of  Wilton,  have 
consented  and  subscribed.  »J<  I,  Wulfsye,  bishop  of  the 
church  of  Sherborne,  have  consented  and  subscribed.  >J<  I, 
^Ethelwerd,  duke.  >J<  I,  ^Elfrick,  duke.  >J<  I,  Leofrick,  duke. 
»J<  I,  Leofwyne,  duke.  »J<  I,  Leofrick,  abbat.  *fc  I,  Alfred, 
abbat.  »J<  I,  ^Elfrick,  abbat.  >J<  I,  Brichtelm,  abbat.  »J<  I, 
^thelmar,  minister.  »J<  I,  Ordulf,  minister.  »J<  I,  Beorth- 
wold,  minister.  »J<  I*  ^thelmar,  minister.  >J<  I,  ^Elfrick, 
minister.  >J<  I,  JElfwine,  minister.  >J<  I,  Leofwyne,  minister. 
*J<  I,  Osulf,  minister.1 

1  It  is  observed  by  Mr.  Kemble,  that,  towards  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  cen 
tury,  "  the  witnesses  vie  with  one  another  in  the  absurdity  of  their  subscrip 
tions  :  they  seem  to  have  thought  it  a  mark  of  learning  and  talent  to  vary  these 
in  such  a  manner  as  that  no  one  should  sign  in  the  exact  words  introduced  by 
another." — Introd.  Cod.  Dip.  vol.  i.  p.  xcv. 

Elsewhere  he  remarks  : — "  It  is  evident,  from  the  handwriting  of  such  ori 
ginal  charters  as  survive,  that  no  one  ever  dreamed  of  subscribing  with  his  own 
hand — few  could  have  done  so." — Hid.  p.  xciii. 

The  charter  of  JEthelred,  given  above,  was  written,  as  it  appears  from  the 
statement  in  it,  by  the  Archbishop  Sigerick. 


APPENDIX. 


No.  III. 

Charter  of  King  Cnut.Y 

A.D.  1018. 

[No.  728,  Cod.  Dip.     MS.  Lansd.  996,  fol.  86.     MS.  Wanley,  fol.  282,  b,] 

>J<  IN  nomine  sanctse  trinitatis  !  Cum  mundi  cursus  uario, 
ut  cotidie  cernimus,  incertoque  discrimine  tendat  ad  calcem, 
cuique  mortalium  opus  est,  ut  sic  caducam  peragat  uitam,  ut 
quandoque  possit  dei  adiutus  [beneficio]  possidere  perpetuam, 
et  quamdiu  uitse  istius  utitur  aura  cuncta  quse  iusto  statuuntur 
examine  certis  apicum  lineis  inserere,  ne  forte  subsequentibus 
ueniant  in  obliuionem,  et  sic  a  iunioribus  paruipendatur  insti- 
tutio  seniorum.  Quapropter  ego  Cnut  rex  subthronizatus 
Angligenum,  cuidam  meo  fidelissimo  episcopo,  qui  noto  uoci- 
tamine  nuncupatur  Burhwold,  condono  in  seternae  ius  hseredi- 
tatis,  quandam  telluris  particulam,  cassatas  scilicet  quatuor^  in 
duobus  locis  diuisas,  nbi  ab  incolis  dicitur  Landerhtun,  et 
terra  aliud  Tinieltun ;  ut  habeat  quamdiu  uitalis  spiritus  in 
hac  serumnosa  uita  fragile  corpus  aluerit ;  et  post  obitum  eius 
terram  Landerhtun  commendat  pro  anima  eius  et  regis  sancto 
Germano  in  perpetuam  libertatem ;  et  Tinieltun  faciat  episco- 
pus  quod  sibi  nisum  fuerit.  Maneatque,  prout  iam  prsedix- 
eram,  donum  istud  ab  omni  saeculari  semitio  exinanitum,  cum 
omnibus  ad  se  rite  pertinentibus,  campis,  siluis,  pascuis_,  pratis, 
excepta  expeditione  tantum  si  necessitas  coegerit,  et  captio 
furum,  libertatem  teneat  ut  superius  titulatur.  Hanc  uero 
meam  donationem,  quod  opto  absit  a  fidelium  mentibus,  minu- 
entibus  atque  frangentibus,  fiat  pars  illorum  cum  illis  de 

1  Pages  80-87. 


APPENDIX.  127 

qnibus  e  contra  fatur,  "  Disceditc  a  me  maledicti  in  igneni 
aeternum,"  et  caetera  ;  nisi  hie  prius  satisfaciant  ante  mortem . 
Istis  terminis  ista  terra  hinc  inde  gyratur,  etc.  Anno  domi- 
nicse  incarnationis  millesimo  octodecimo  scripta  est  huius 
munificentise  syngrapha,  his  testibus  consentientibus  quorum 
nomina  inferius  caraxata  esse  uidentur. 

»J<  Ego  Cnut  totius  Britannise  monarchus  mese  largitatis 
donum  agise  crucis  taumate  roboraui.  »J<  Ego  Liuingus  Doro- 
bernensis  secclesise  episcopus  consensi  et  subscripsi.  »J<  Ego 
Wlfstan  Eboracensis  secclesia3  archiepiscopus  signo  sanctae 
crucis  subscripsi,  »J<  Ego  ^Elfgyfa  regina  humillima  adiuui. 
»J<  Ego  ^Elfsinus  episcopus  non  renui.  »J<  Ego  Brihtwold 
episcopus  adquieui.  >J<  Ego  JEftelwine  episcopus  confirmaui. 
»J<  Ego  Brihtwine  episcopus  consilium  dedi,  »J<  Ego  Eadnoft 
episcopus  consolidaui.  »J<  Ego  Burhwold  episcopus  conclusi. 
>J<  Durcil  dux.  >J<  Yrric  dux.  >J<  Egillaf  dux.  *fc  Ranig 
dux.  »J<  ^ESelweard  dux.  ^<  Godwine  dux.  »J<  Brihtrig  abbas. 
>J<  ^ESelsige  abbas.  >J<  BrihtmDsr  abbas.  »J<  ^Elfsige  abbas, 
>J<  ^Eluere  abbas.  >J<  ^^elwold  abbas.  >J<  Dored  minister. 
>J<  Aslac  minister.  »J<  Tobi  minister.  >J<  ^Elfgar  minister. 
>J<  Odda  minister.  iJ4  ^Elfgar  minister. 


Translation  of  King  Cnut's  Charter. 
A.D.  1018. 


lN  the  name  °f  the  holy  Trinity  !  Inasmuch  as 
The  proem.  ^  course  °^  ^e  world,  by  various,  as  we  daily 
see,  and  uncertain  perils,  tendeth  to  an  end,  it  is 
needful  for  every  mortal  so  to  pass  this  transitory  life,  that, 
by  God's  aid,  he  may  at  last  be  able  to  secure  that  which  is 
eternal  ;  and  so  long  as  he  draws  this  vital  air,  to  insert,  in 
the  sure  characters  of  writing,  all  things  which  have  been 


128  APPENDIX. 

ordained  after  due  examination,  lest  haply  with  those  who 
follow  they  might  fall  into  oblivion,  and  so  the  decree  of -the 
elders  be  set  at  nought  by  the  younger.  Wherefore  I,  Cnut, 
enthroned  King  of  the  English,  do  grant  unto  my 
most  faithful  bishop,  who  is  called  by  the  well- 
known  name  Burhwold,  in  right  of  a  perpetual  inheritance,  a 
certain  portion  of  land,  to  wit,  four  hides,  in  two  places  di 
vided,  where  by  the  inhabitants  it  is  -called  Landerhtun,  and 
the  land  elsewhere  [called]  Tinieltun ;  to  hold  so  long  as  the 
vital  breath  in  this  troublous  life  shall  sustain  the  fragile  body ; 
and  after  his  decease,  the  land  Landerhtun,  to  commit  for  his 
soul  and  the  King's,  to  the  holy  Germanus,  in  perpetual 
liberty;  and  Tinieltun,  the  bishop  to  deal  with  as  to  him  shall 
seem  fit.  And  the  aforesaid  gift  to  remain,  as  I  have  already 
said,  from  every  worldly  service  exempt ;  with  all  things  to  the 
same  of  right  appertaining — fields,  woods,  pastures,  meadows 
(military  service  only  excepted,  if  necessity  require),  and 
seizure  of  thieves ;  the  same  liberty  to  be  held  in  the  manner 
above  expressed.  But  as  to  those  who  this  my 
'  endowment  shall  diminish  or  violate,  which  I  de 
sire  may  be  absent  from  the  thoughts  of  the  faithful,  may 
their  portion  be  allotted  with  them  of  whom,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  said — "Depart  from  me,  ye  wicked,  into  eternal 
fire,"  and  so  forth,  unless  they  first  make  satisfaction  before 
they  die.  These  are  the  boundaries  by  which  the  land  is  sur 
rounded  on  either  side,  &C.1  In  the  year  of  our 
The  date.  T  ,,  .  , .  ,.  ,  ,  .  ,  . 

Lord  s  incarnation,  one  thousand  and  eighteen,  is 

written  the  syngraph  of  this  munificence ;  these  witnesses  con 
senting  whose  names  appear  written  below : — 

»Ji  I,  Cnut,  monarch  of  all  Britain,  the  gift  of  my  liberality, 
with  the  marvel  of  the  holy  cross,  have  corrobo 
rated.  »J<  I,  Living,  of  the  church  of  Canterbury, 

1  As  the  boundaries  are  wanting  in  the  document  itself,  we  may  infer  that  it 
is  not  the  original  instrument. 


APPENDIX.  129 

bishop,  have  consented  and  subscribed.  >J*  ^  Wlfstan,  of  the 
church  of  York,  archbishop,  with  the  sign  of  the  holy  cross, 
have  subscribed.  >J<  I,  ^Elfgyfa,  queen,  most  humbly  have 
assisted.  >J<  I,  ^Elfsinus,  bishop,  have  not  refused.  >J<  I, 
Brihtwold,  bishop,  have  acquiesced.  >J<  I,  ^Ethelwine,  bishop, 
have  confirmed.  ^  I,  Brihtwine,  bishop,  have  advised. 
»J«  I,  Eadnoth,  bishop,  have  consolidated.  »J<  I,  Burhwold, 
bishop,  have  concluded.  »J<  Thurcil,  duke.  »J<  Yrric,  duke. 
>J<  Egillaf,  duke.  ^  Ranig,  duke.  >J<  ^Ethelweard,  duke. 
»J<  God  wine,  duke.  >J^  Brihtrig,  abbat.  >J<  ^Ethelsige,  abbat. 
>J<  Brihtmser,  abbat.  >J<  ^Elfsige,  abbat.  »J<  ^Eluere,  abbat. 
>J<  ^Ethelwold,  abbat.  *J<  Thored,  minister.  *fc  Aslac,  minis 
ter.  »J<  Tobi,  minister.  »J<  ^Elfgar,  minister.  >J<  Odda, 
minister.  ^  ^Elf^ar,  minister, 


130 


No.  IV. 

Charter  of  King  Eadward.1 
A.D.  1050. 

[No.  791,  Cod.  Dip.    MS.  C.C.C.  Cantab.  59,  No.  36.] 

»J<  IGITUR  cum  uniuersa  in  sapientia  a  deo  bene  condita  sunt, 
uidelicet,  cceluin,  aruum,  et  quse  in  eis  continentur,  dignum 
quippe  sequumque  dinoscitur  fore  quamquam  impossibilitas 
segrse  humanitatis  humanos  actus  pluris  calamitatibus  contur- 
bet,  quo  nos  qui  rectores  hominum  a  deo  constituti  dicimur 
instinctu  supernse  clementise  iuxta  modulum  nostrae  censurse 
prudenter  sequitatem  ciuilis  exquirere  studeamus  scientise,  et 
praecipue  res  aeeclesiasticse  denique  discutiendo  tractare  ea  quse 
cernuntur  nostris  non  sequa  optutibus  rectius  constituere, 
sicque  sancita  ad  profectum  innocentise  siue  utriusque  uice 
corroborando  gubernare.  Equidem  gloriosum  est  nimiumque 
laudabile  destructas  aedes  sanctorum  locorum  ad  diuinum  admi- 
niculum  inposcendum  resedificare,  sacraque  altaria  uenustis 
uelis  cum  nitore  pii  cordis  uelare,  et  unamquamque  nocturnam 
siue  diurnam  sinaxim  armoniacis  modulis  resonare.  Quaprop- 
ter  ego  Eadwardus  dei  gratia  Anglorum  rex  consilio  imbutus 
bonse  uoluntatis  quum  prouisum  est  mihi,  secundum  quod 
prsecipitur  in  diuinis  decretis  cathedram  pontificalem  consoli- 
dare  Exonise  ciuitatis  in  monasterio  beati  Petri  apostolorum 
principis  quod  est  situm  infra  mania  eiusdem  urbis,  auctori- 
tate  superni  regis  meaque  meaeque  coniugis  EadgySeej  uniuer- 
sorum  episcoporum  ducumque  meorum,  per  hoc  priuilegium 
testamenti  atque  cautionem  cyrographi  in  perpetuo  tempore 
constitute  Leofricum,  ut  sit  ibi  pontifex,  et  post  ilium  caeteri 
affuturi  ad  laudem  et  gloriam  sanctse  et  indiuiduse  trinitatis, 

1  Page  81. 


APPENDIX.  131 

patris,  et  filii,  et  spiritus  sancti,  ct  ad  honorcm  sancti  Petri 
apostoli.  Dono  etiam  possessiones  omnes  ad  eundcm  locum 
pcrtinentes  quaecumque  sint,  tam  in  ruribus,  quam  in  pascuis, 
pratis,  siluis,  aquis,  liberis,  seruis,  ancillis,  legibus,  censu,, 
pagis,  dco  sanctoquc  Petro  fratribusque  canonicis  ibi  famulan- 
tibus  ut  habcant  iugitcr  subsidium  Imbcsum  corporis  quo  uale- 
ant  Christo  militare  sine  ulla  molcstia  animi.  Hoc  tamcn 
notum  papaa  domino  in  primis  Leoni  facio  ipsiusque  attesta- 
tione  confirmo,  deincepsque  cunctis  Anglorum  magnatibus 
quod  Cornubiensem  diocesim,  quae  olim  in  beati  Germani  mc- 
moria  atque  Petroci  ucneratione  episcopali  solio  assignata 
fueratj  ipsam  cum  omnibus  sibi  adiacentibus  parochiis,  terris, 
uillis,  opibus,  beneficiis,  sancto  Petro  in  Exonia  ciuitate  trado, 
scilicet,  ut  una  sit  sedes  episcopalis  unumque  pontificium  et 
una  secclesiastica  regula  propter  paucitatem  atque  deuasta- 
tionem  bonorum  et  populorum  quoniam  pyratici  Cornubiensem 
ac  Cryditonensem  aecclesias  deuastare  poterant,  ac  per  hoc  in 
ciuitate  Exomse  tutiorem  munitionem  aduersus  liostes  habere 
uisum  est  et  ideo  ibi  sedem  esse  uolo.  Hoc  est  ut  Cornubia 
cum  suis  secclesiis  et  Deuonia  cum  suis  simul  in  uno  episcopate 
sint  et  ab  uno  episcopo  rcgantur.  Itaque  hoc  priuilegium  ego 
Eadwardus  rex  manu  mea  super  altare  sancti  Petri  pono  et 
prsesulem  Leofricum  per  dexterum  brachium  ducens,  mcaque 
regina  Eadgyfta  per  sinistrum,  in  cathedra  episcopali  consisto 
prsesentibus  meis  ducibus  et  consanguineis,  nobilibus  nec- 
non  capellanis,  et  affirmantibus  laudantibusque  archiepiscopis 
EadsinOj  et  ^Elfrico^  cum  cseteris  aliis  quorum  nomina  descri- 
buntur  in  meta  huius  cautionis.  Enimuero  si  quis  hoc  testa- 
mentum  priuilegii  affirmare  post  meum  uitse  transitum  et  bona 
aecclesiae  augere  tuendo  uoluerit,  adaugeat  omnipotens  deus 
dies  uitse  eius,  atque  centuplo  fructu  nono  decimo  coronet  eum 
seterno  prsemio  in  gaudio  sethereo.  Si  autem,  quod  absit,  ali- 
quis  compilator  fraudis  uel  cauillator  fautoris  nasuo  fomitatis 
iniquse  cupidinis  hanc  cautionem  seu  decretum  huius  episcopi 


132  APPENDIX. 

destituere  aut  pernmtare  contempnendo  praesumpserit,  uel 
eiusdem  minuere  et  subtrahere  substantiam  temptauerit,  seter- 
nis  mancipatus  habenis  cum  diabolo  eiusque  ministris  sit  sepa- 
ratus  a  Christo  ipsiusque  sanctis  dissegregatione  perpetuse 
anathematis  fiat.  Anno  igitur  incarnationis  dominicse  .M.Lmo. 
indictione  tertia,  epactseque  .xxv.  et  concurrentes  .vn.  hsec 
cautio  scripta  est  edictione  solida  karecterata  karecteribus  tes- 
tium  iubente  piissimo  rege  Anglorum  Eadwardo  gubernante 
eodem  foeliciter  totius  monarchiam  maioris  Britannise. 

»J<  Ego  Eadwardus  rex  hoc  donum  cautione  hac  affirmo. 
»J<  Ego  Eadsinus  archiepiscopus  Christ!  secclesiae  manu  mea 
subscripsi.  »J<  Ego  Elericus  archiepiscopus  Eboracensis  aec- 
clesise  confirmaui.  »J<  Ego  Stigandus  episcopus  signum  duxi. 
»J<  Ego  Herimanus  episcopus  corroboraui.  >J<  Ego  Rodbertus 
episcopus  testis  fui.  >J<  Ego  Ealdredus  consolidaui.  >J<  Ego 
Doduca  episcopus  consensi.  >J<  Ego  Godwinus  dux.  »J<  Ego 
Leofricus  dux.  »J<  Ego  Siwerdus  dux.  »{<  Ego  Haraldus 
dux.  »J<  Ego  Radulfus  dux.  >J<  Ego  Tosti  nobilis.  »J<  Ego 
^Egelwerdus  abbas  adiuui.  >J<  Ego  ^Elfuuinus  abbas  assensi. 
^  Ego  Raeinbaldus  presbyter  commendaui.  >J<  Ego  God 
winus  presbyter  aspiraui.  *fc  Ego  Godmannus  presbyter  in- 
terfui.  )J<  Ego  Petrus  presbyter  laudaui.  »J<  Ego  Odda  nobilis. 
>J<  Ego  Rymhtricus  nobilis.  >J<  Ego  Ordsanus  minister. 
»J<  Ego  Celericus  minister.  »J<  Ego  Touinus  minister.  »J<  Ego 
Radulphus  minister.  tf*  Ego  Dodda  minister.  »J<  Ego 
Eadulfus  minister.  >J<  Ego  Ordulfus  minister.  >J<  Ego 
Ecgulfus  minister.  *fc  Ego  Eabpisus  minister.  >J<  Ego  Celf- 
pendus  minister. 


APPENDIX.  133 

Translation  of  King  EadwartVs  Charter. 
AD.  1050. 

*J<  INASMUCH  as  the  universe  has  been  well  founded  in  wis 
dom  by  God;  to  wit,  the  heaven  and  field,  and  what 
are  contained  in  them ;  worthy,  surely,  and  just  it 
is  acknowledged  that  it  would  be  (notwithstanding  that  the  im- 
potency  of  frail  humanity  may,  in  a  greater  degree,  disturb 
human  acts  with  calamities) ,  that  we,  who  are  said  to  be  con 
stituted  of  God,  the  rulers  of  men,  with  the  instinct  of  divine 
clemency,  according  to  the  measure  of  our  judgment,  should 
prudently  endeavour  to  search  into  the  equity  of  civil  science; 
and  especially  the  matters  of  ecclesiastical  [science]  to  submit 
to  full  examination;  the  things  which  appear  to  our  earnest  re 
gard  to  be  not  equitable,  to  constitute  more  correctly ;  and  so 
what  is  established  for  the  advantage  of  innocence,  to  put  in  force 
by  the  support  of  one  [science]  or  the  other.  Indeed,  glorious 
is  it,  and  excessively  praiseworthy,  the  ruined  edifices  of  sacred 
places  to  rebuild  for  the  obtaining  of  divine  aid  ;  and  the  holy 
altars,  with  decent  veils  to  cover,  with  the  gracefulness  of  a 
pious  heart ;  and  that  every  nightly  and  daily  service  should 
resound  with  harmonious  strains.  Wherefore  I, 
Eadward,  by  the  grace  of  God  King  of  the  English, 
actuated  by  motives  of  good  will,  inasmuch  as  I  have  ordained, 
according  to  what  is  commanded  in  the  divine  decrees,  to 
consolidate  an  episcopal  chair  at  the  city  of  Exeter,  in  the 
monastery  of  the  blessed  Peter,  chief  of  the  Apostles,  which 
is  situated  within  the  walls  of  the  same  city,  by  the  authority 
of  the  Heavenly  King,  by  my  own,  and  by  that  of  my  consort 
Eadgytha,  and  of  all  my  bishops  and  dukes,  and  by  virtue  of 
this  special  grant,  and  the  assurance  of  this  handwriting,  for 
all  time  to  come,  do  constitute  Leofrick,  that  he  be  the  pontiff 
there,  and  those  who  shall  succeed  him,  to  the  praise  and  glory 
of  the  holy  and  indivisible  Trinity,  Father,  and  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit,  and  to  the  honour  of  holy  Peter,  the  Apostle.  I  give 


134  APPENDIX. 

also  all  possessions  to  the  same  place  belonging,  whatsoever 
they  may  be,  as  well  in  lauds  as  in  pastures,  meadows,  woods, 
waters,  freedmen,  serfs,  and  bondwomen,  laws,  tax,  territories, 
unto  God  and  Saint  Peter,  and  to  the  brotherhood  of  canons 
there  serving,  that  they  may  have  at  all  times  landed  estate 
for  the  support  of  the  body,  whereby  they  may  be  enabled  to 
be  Christ's  soldiers  without  trouble  of  mind.  This,  however, 
I  make  known  to  the  Lord  the  Pope  Leo  first  of  all,  and  con 
firm  by  his  own  attestation ;  then  to  all  the  English  nobles ; 
that  the  diocese  of  Cornwall,  which  formerly,  in  memory  of 
the  blessed  Germanus,  and  in  veneration  of  Petrocus,  had  been 
assigned  to  an  episcopal  throne ;  the  same  with  all  the  parishes 
thereto  belonging,  lands,  vills,  substance,  benefits,  I  deliver  to 
Saint  Peter,  in  the  city  of  Exeter,  to  wit,  that  there  may  be 
one  episcopal  seat  and  one  pontificate,  and  one  ecclesiastical 
rule,  on  account  of  the  paucity  and  the  devastation  of  goods 
and  people,  inasmuch  as  pirates  have  been  able  to  plun 
der  the  Cornish  and  Cryditon  churches  -,  and  on  this  ac 
count  it  has  seemed  good  to  have  a  more  secure  protection 
against  enemies  within  the  city  of  Exeter ;  and  so  there  I  will 
the  seat  to  be :  that  is,  that  Cornwall  with  its  churches,  and 
Devon  with  its,  may  be  united  into  one  episcopate,  and  be 
ruled  by  one  bishop  :  therefore  this  special  grant,  I,  King 
Eadward,  lay  with  my  own  hand  upon  the  altar  of  Saint 
Peter ;  and  the  Prelate  Leofrick  by  the  right  arm  leading,  and 
my  Queen  Eadgytha  by  the  left,  I  place  in  the  episcopal 
chair,  in  the  presence  of  my  dukes  and  kinsmen,  nobles  and 
chaplains,  and  with  the  assent  and  approval  of  the  Archbishops 
Eadsine  and  ^Elfrick,  and  all  the  others  whose  names  are  men 
tioned  at  the  end  of  this  instrument.  Verily,  if 

The  sanction.  _.          .    .,         ,  .     ,,    ,      . 

any  one  this  privileged  grant  shall  desire  to  con 
firm  after  my  life  shall  have  passed  away,  and  the  possessions 
of  the  church  to  increase  by  his  support,  may  the  omnipotent 
God  increase  the  days  of  his  life,  and  with  fruit  nineteen 


APPENDIX.  135 

hundred  fold  crown  him  with  a  perpetual  reward  in  ethereal 
joy.  But  if,  which  we  pray  may  not  be,  any  fraudulent  extor 
tioner,  or  favouring  sophister,  with  the  incentive  spot  of  un 
righteous  desire,  this  document  or  decree,  in  favour  of  this 
bishop,  shall  contemptuously  presume  to  spoil  or  pervert,  or 
shall  endeavour  to  diminish  or  subtract  its  substance,  bound 
with  eternal  fetters  with  the  devil  and  his  ministers,  may  he 
be  separated  from  Christ  and  his  saints  by  the  disseverance  of 

a  perpetual  anathema.     Fiat !     In  the  year,  there- 
Thedate.         f  „  r       ,,     .  ..  '    Al  .    ,    . 

fore,  of  our  Lord  s  incarnation  ML.,  the  third  in- 

diction,  of  the  epact.  xxv.,  and  vnth  concurrent,  this  document 
is  written  in  a  firm  decree,  signed  with  the  signatures  of  the 
witnesses,  by  command  of  the  most  pious  King  of  the  English, 
Eadward,  ruling  at  the  same  place  felicitously  the  monarchy  of 
all  the  Greater  Britain. 

>J<  I,  Eadward,  king,  this  gift  by  this  assurance  affirm. 
»J<  I,  Eadsinus,  archbishop  of  Christ's  church, 
with  my  own  hand  have  subscribed.  »J<  I,  Elericus, 
archbishop  of  the  church  of  York,  have  confirmed.  »J<  I, 
Stigand,  bishop,  have  made  the  sign.  »J<  I,  Heriman,  bishop, 
have  corroborated.  >J<  I,  Rodbert,  bishop,  have  been  a  wit 
ness.  >J<  I,  Ealdred,  have  consolidated.  >J<  I,  Doduca,  bishop, 
have  consented.  »J<  I,  Godwine,  duke.  »J<  I,  Leofrick,  duke. 
^  I,  Siwerd,  duke.  »J«  I,  Harald,  duke.  >J<  I,  Radulfus, 
duke.  »J<  I,  Tosti,  nobilis.  »J<  I,  ^Egelwerd,  abbat,  have 
assisted.  »J<  I,  ^Elfuuine,  abbat,  have  assented.  »J<  I,  Raein- 
baldus,  presbyter,  have  commended.  >J<  I,  Godwine,  presbyter, 
have  favoured.  >j<  I,  Godman,  presbyter,  have  taken  part. 
»J<  I,  Petrus,  presbyter,  have  applauded.  >J<  I,  Odda,  nobilis. 
»J<  I,  Rymhtricus,  nobilis.  ^  I,  Ordsanus,  minister.  »J<  I, 
Celericus,  minister.  »J<  I,  Touinus,  minister.  »J<  I,  Radulphus, 
minister.  >J<  T,  Dodda,  minister.  »J<  I,  Eadulfus,  minister. 
>J<  I,  Ordulfus,  minister.  *fc  I,  Ecgulfus,  minister.  >J<  I, 
Eabpisus,  minister.  >J<  I,  Celfpendus,  minister. 


136 


No.  V. 
Charter  of  Bishop  Leo/rick} 

HE  DIED  A.D.  1071. 

[No.  940,  Cod.  Dip.     MS.  Harl.  258,  fol.  125  b.     M.S.  Bibl.  Bodl.  Auct.  D.  2, 

16,  fol.  1.] 

3  »J<  HER  swutelaft  on  ftissereCristes  bee  hwaet  Leofric  bisceop 
haefS  gedon  inuto  sancte  Petres  minstre  on  Exanceastre  ftser 
his  bisceopstol  is.  Daet  is  ftaet  he  haefS  geinnod  ftaet  aer  geii- 
tod  waes  )?urh  Godes  fultum  and  J?urh  his  forespraece  and  ]?urh 
his  gaersuma,  $aet  is  serost  ftaet  land  set  Culmstoke  and  ftaet 
land  set  Brancescumbe  and  aet  Sealtcumbe,  and  3set  land  aet 
sancte  Maria  circean,  and  'Saet  land  aet  Stofordtune  and  aet 
Sweartan  wille,  and  "Saet  land  aet  Morceshille  and  Sidefullan 
hiwisc_,  and  ^aet  land  aet  Brihtricestane,  and  ^aet  land  aet  Top- 
peshamme  ^e  ah  'Se  Harold  hit  mid  unlage  utnam,  and  *Saet 
land  aet  Stoce,  and  Saet  land  aet  Sydebirig,  and  'Saet  land 
aet  Niwantune,  and  aet  Nor^Stune,  and  "Saet  land  aet  Clift  'Se 
Wid  haefde.  Donne  ys  ftis  se  eaca  on  landum  ftaet  he  haef^ 
of  his  agenum  'Saet  mynster  mid  gegodod,  for  his  hlaforda 
sawlum  and  for  his  agenre,  'Sam  Godes  J?e6wum  to  bigleofan 
"Se  for  heora  sawlum  fingian  sceolon,  'Saet  is  aerost  'Saet  land  aet 
Bemtune  and  aet  Esttune  and  aet  Ceommenige,  and  -Saet  land 
aet  Doflisc  and  aet  Holacumbe  and  aet  Suft wuda ;  and  he  ne 
funde  ^a  he  to  ^am  mynstre  feng  nan  mare  landes  $e  "Side- 
rynn  gewylde  waere,  ^Sonne  twa  hida  landes  aet  Ide ;  and  3aeron 
naes  orfcynnes  nan  mare  buton  .vu.  hru^eru.  Donne  ys  ^is 
seo  oncnawennis  'Se  he  haefS  God  mid  gecnawen  and  sanctum 
Petrum  into  "Sam  halgan  mynstre  on  circlicum  madwum, 

1  Page  50.     This  document  is  rather  a  will  than  a  charter.     In  strictness, 
perhaps,  it  is  neither,  but  a  minute  or  record  only,  entered,  as  was  the  practice, 
in  the  vacant  leaves  of  the  New  Testament. 

2  We  have  adopted  Mr.  Kemble's  text  in  preference  to  Dugdale's.  The  former 
throughout  the  Cod.  Dip.  has  substituted  Roman  for  Anglo-Saxon  characters 
(retaining  only  $  and  }>).     This  practice  has  been  countenanced  abroad,  by  the 
distinguished  names  of  Eask,  Ettmuller,  and  Thorkelin. 


APPENDIX.  137 

$aet  is  $aet  he  haefb  Siderynn  gedon  .11.  bisceoproda  and  .11. 
raycele  gcbonedc  roda,  butan  oSrum  litlum  silfrcnum  swurro- 
dum;  and  .11.  mycelc  Cristes  bee  gebonede  and  .in.  geboiiede 
serin,  arid  .1.  geboned  altare  and  .v.  silfrene  caliceas  and  .1111. 
corporales  and  .1.  silfren  pipe  and  .v.  fulle  msessereaf  and  .11. 
dalmatica  and  .in.  pistelroccas  and  .mi.  subdiacones  handlin 
and  .in.  cantercaeppa  and  .in.  canterstafas  and  .v.  waellene 
weofodsceatas  and  .vn.  ofbrsedelsas  and  .n.  taeppedu  and  .in. 
berascin  and  .vn.  setlhraegel  and  .in.  ricghraegel  and  .11.  wah- 
raeft  and  .vr.  maesene  sceala  and  .11.  gebonede  hna3ppas  and 
.mi.  hornas  and  .n.  mycele  gebonede  candelsticcan  and  .vi. 
laessan  candelsticcan  gebonede  and  .1.  silfren  storey  lie  mid  sil- 
frenum  storsticcan  and  .viii.  laeflas  and  .n.  guttfana  and  .1. 
mere  and  .vi.  midreca  and  .1.  firdwaen  and  .1.  cyste;  and  ftaer 
naeron  aer  biiton  .vu.  upphangene  bclla,  and  nii  $a  synd  .xiii. 
upphangene  and  .xn.  handbella ;  and  11.  fulle  msessebec  and 
.1.  collectaneum  and  .n.  pistelbec  and  .n.  fulle  sangbec 
and  .1.  nihtsang  and  .1.  ad  te  leuaui  and  .1.  tropere  and  .n. 
salteras  and  se  ]?riddan  saltere  swa  man  singS  on  Rome ;  and 
.11.  ymneras  and  .1.  deorwyrSe  bletsingboc  and  .111.  o^Sre  and 
.1.  Englisc  Cristes  boc  and  .11.  sumerrsedingbec  and  .1.  win- 
terraedingboc  and  Regula  canonicorum  and  Martyrlogium 
and  .1.  canon  on  Leden  and  .1.  scriftboc  on  Englisc  and  .1.  full 
spelboc  winteres  and  sumeres,  and  Boeties  boc  on  Englisc  and 
.1.  mycel  Englisc  boc  be  geliwilcum  Jnngum  on  leoSwisan  ge- 
worlit.  And  he  ne  fiinde  on  iSam  mynstre  iSa  he  tofeng  boca 
na  ma  biiton  tine  capitulare  and  .1.  forealdodne  nihtsang  and 
.1.  pistelboc  and  .11.  forealdode  raedingbec  swiSe  wake  and  .1. 
wac  maessereaf.  And  ftus  fela  Leden  boca  he  beget  innto  Stim 
mynster;  Liber  pastoralis,  and  Liber  dialogorum,  and  Libri 
.111.  prophetarurn,  and  Liber  Boetii  de  Consolatione,  and  Isa- 
goge  Porphirii_,  and  .1.  Passionalis,  and  Liber  Prosperi,  and 
liber  Prudentii  psycomachiae,  and  liber  Prudentii  ymnorum, 
and  liber  Prudentii  de  martyribus,  and  Liber  Ezechielis  pro- 
phctae,  and  Cantica  canticorum,  and  Liber  Isaise  prophetae  on 


138  APPENDIX. 

sundron,  and  Liber  Isidori  etimologiarum,  and  Passiones 
apostolorum,  and  Expositio  Bedae  super  euangelium  Lucae,  and 
expositio  Bedae  super  Apocalypsin,  and  Expositio  Bedae  super 
.vii.  Epistolas  canonicas,  and  Liber  Isidori  de  nouo  et  ueteri 
testamento,  and  Liber  Isidori  de  miraculis  Christi,  and  Liber 
Oserii,  and  Liber  Machabeorum,  and  Liber  Persii,  and  Sedu- 
lies  boc,  and  liber  Aratoris,  and  Diadem  a  monachorum,  and 
Glose  Statii,  and  Liber  offieialis  Amalarii.  And  ofer  his  daeg 
he  ann  his  capellam  $iderbinnan  forS  mid  himsilfum  on  eallum 
"Sam  j?ingum  fte  he  silf  dide  mid  Godes  )?eninge  on  ftaet  gerad 
£aet  $a  Godes  j?eowas  8e  ftaerbinnan  beoft  aefre  his  sawle  gemu- 
non  mid  heora  gebedum  and  maessesangum  to  Criste  and  to 
sancte  Petre  and  to  eallum  "Sam  halgum  'Se  "Saet  halige  minster 
is  foregehalgodj  'Saet  his  sawle  beo  Gode  fte  anfengre.  And  se 
"Se  'Sas  gyfu  and  ftisne  unnan  wille  Gode  and  sancte  Petre 
setbredan,  si  him  heofena  rice  aetbroden  and  si  he  ecelice  geni- 
into  helle  wite. 


Translation  of  the  foregoing. 

>J<  Here  is  it  witnessed,  on  this  Christ's  book,  what  Leofrick 
the  bishop  hath  given  unto  Saint  Peter's  minster,  at  Exan- 
ceastre,  where  his  bishop's  seat  is.  That  is,  that  what  was 
formerly  taken  away,  he  hath  restored,  through  God's  aid, 
and  through  his  intercession,  and  by  means  of  his  treasure ; 
that  is  to  say,  first,  the  land  at  Culmstoke,  and  the  land  at 
Brancescumbe,  and  at  Sealtcumbe,  and  the  land  at  Saint 
Mary's  Church,  and  the  land  at  Stofordtune,  and  at  Sweartan 
Well,  and  the  land  at  Morceshille,  and  Sidefullan  Hide,  and 
the  land  at  Brihtricestane,  and  the  land  at  Toppeshamme, 
although  Harold  hath  unlawfully  taken  it  away,  and  the  land 
at  Stoce,  and  the  land  at  Sydebirig,  and  the  land  at  Niwantune, 
and  at  Northtune,  and  the  land  at  Clift,  that  Wid  had.  Next, 
this  is  the  increase  of  lands  wherewith  he  hath  of  his  own 
enriched  the  minster,  for  his  Lord's  soul,  and  for  his  own,  to 


APPENDIX.  139 

provide  for  God's  people,  who  for  their  souls  should  intercede ; 
that  is  to  say,  first  the  land  at  Bemtune,  and  at  Esttune,  and 
at  Ceommenige,  and  the  land  at  Doflisc,  and  at  Holacumbe, 
and  at  Suthwuda.  And  he  found,  when  he  took  to  the  min 
ster,  no  more  lands  that  were  in  its  possession  than  two  hides 
of  land  at  Ide;  and  thereon  was  there  no  more  live  stock 
than  vn.  head  of  cattle.  Next,  this  is  the  acknowledgment 
wherewith  he  hath  acknowledged  God  and  Saint  Peter  at  that 
holy  minster,  in  church  furniture ;  that  is  to  say,  that  he  hath 
given  thereto  n.  bishops'  crosses  (crosiers)  and  n.  great  ivory 
crosses,  besides  other  small  silver  neck  crosses,  and  n.  great 
Christ's  books  of  (or  bound  with)  ivory,  and  in.  ivory  caskets, 
and  i.  ivory  altar,  and  v.  silver  cups,  and  mi.  corporals  (cloths 
to  cover  the  sacred  elements),  and  i.  silver  pipe,  and  v.  full 
mass  dresses,  and  n.  dalmatica  (long  gowns  of  the  deacons), 
and  in.  epistle  vests,  and  mi.  subdeacons'  hand  linen  (hand 
kerchiefs),  and  in.  choristers' caps,  and  in.  choristers'  staves, 
and  v.  woollen  altar  covers,  and  vn.  carpets,  and  n.  tapestries, 
and  in.  bearskins,  and  vn.  seat  covers,  and  in.  back  hangings, 
and  n.  wall-hangings,  and  vi.  brass  scales,  and  n.  ivory  cups, 
and  mi.  horns,  and  n.  great  ivory  candlesticks,  andvi.  lesser 
candlesticks  of  ivory,  and  i.  silver  censer  with  silver  censer- 
stick,  and  vin.  ewers,  and  n.  banners,  and  i.  table  (?),  and  vi. 
coffers  (?),*  and  i.  military  waggon,  and  i.  chest ;  and  there  were 
not  formerly  but  vn.  uphanging  bells,  and  now  there  are  xin. 
uphanging  and  xn.  hand  bells;  and  n.  full  mass-books,  and  i. 
of  collects,  and  n.  epistle-books,  and  n.  full  singing-books, 
and  i.  night-song,  and  i.  ad  te  levavi,  and  i.  tropere,  and  n. 
psalters,  and  a  third  psalter,  as  is  sung  at  Rome,  and  n.  hymn 
books,  and  i.  dear-worth  blessing-book,  and  in.  others,  and  T. 
English  Christ's  book,  and  n.  summer-reading  books,  and  i. 
winter-reading  book,  and  Regula  Canonicorum,  and  Martyro- 
logium,  and  i.  canon  in  Latin,  and  i.  confession-book  in  Eng 
lish,  and  i.  full  book  of  homilies,  winter  and  summer,  and 

1  Qy.  "  Mesc  and  mulerec." — Sec  Dugdole's  Monast.  "  Exeter." 


140  APPENDIX. 

Boethius'  book  in  English,  and  i.  great  English  book  with 
everything  wrought  poetry-wise.  And  he  found,  when  he 
took  to  the  minster,  no  more  books  than  one  capitulary,  and 
i.  very  old  night-song,  and  i,  epistle-book,  and  n.  very  old 
reading-books,  very  worthless,  and  one  worthless  mass- dress. 
And  thus  many  Latin  books  did  he  acquire  for  the  minster. 
Liber  Pastoral  is,  and  Liber  Dialogorum,  and  in.  books  of  the 
prophets,  and  the  book  of  Boethius'  de  Consolatione,  and  the 
Isagoge  of  Porphirius,  and  i.  Passionalis,  and  book  of  Prosper, 
and  Prudentius'  book  Psycomachia,  and  Prudentius'  book  of 
hymns,  and  Prudentius'  book  on  the  Martyrs,  and  the  book  of 
Ezekiel  the  prophet.  The  Song  of  Solomon,  and  book  of 
Isaiah  the  prophet,  separately ;  and  the  book  of  Isidores  Ety 
mologies,  and  Passiones  Apostolorum,  and  Beda's  Exposition  of 
Luke's  Gospel,  and  Beda's  Exposition  of  the  Apocalypse,  and 
Beda's  Exposition  of  the  vn.  Canonical  Epistles,  and  Isidores 
book  on  the  New  and  Old  Testament,  and  Isidores  book  on  the 
Miracles  of  Christ,  and  the  book  of  Oserius  (supposed  Orosius), 
and  book  of  Maccabees,  and  book  of  Persius,  and  book  of  Se- 
dulius,1  and  book  of  Arator,2  and  Diadema  Monachorum,3  and 
Glossse  Statii,  and  Amalarius'  book  of  Offices.4  And  after  his 
day,  he  gave  his  ecclesiastical  utensils5  therein,  personally 
used  by  himself  in  all  his  ministrations  with  God's  people,  on 
the  condition  that  God's  servants  who  should  be  therein  his 
soul  should  ever  remember  with  their  prayers  and  mass-songs 
to  Christ  and  Saint  Peter,  and  to  all  those  saints  to  whom  that 
holy  minster  is  consecrated,  that  his  soul  be  the  more  welcome 
to  God.  And  whosoever  this  gift  and  this  endowment  shall 
desire  to  take  away  from  God  and  Saint  Peter,  may  the  king 
dom  of  heaven  be  taken  from  him,  and  may  he  be  for  ever 
condemned  to  hell  punishment. 

1  A  writer  of  the  eighth  century,  said  to  be  Irish. 

2  Author  of  Library  of  the  Fathers,  and  other  works.     Ob.  566. 

3  Written  by  Smaragdus,  Abbat  of  Saint  Michel,  in  Verdun,  France.     Ob. 
circa  823. 

4  Dean  of  Metz.     He  published  his  work  on  Ecclesiastical  Offices  A.D.  820. 

5  See  page  52. 


141 


No.  VI. 

The  Document  referred  to  as  the  Bodleian  MS.1 

[Ex  votusto  MS.  in  Bibl.  Bodleiana,  MS.  Bodl.  579.     Dug.  Manas.] 

ANNO  illo  quo  transact!  sunt  a  nativitatc  Domini  nostri  Jesu 
Christi  anni  DCCCCV.  misit  Formosus,  Pontifex  apostolicus  Ro- 
manae  ecclesise,  in  terram  Anglorum  ad  regem  Eaduuardum, 
filium  Alfridi,  motus  cum  magna  iracundia  ac  devocione,  et 
mandavit  ei  cum  suis  omnibus  maledictionem  contra  bene- 
dictionem  quam  beatus  papa  Gregorius  per  sanctum  virum 
Augustinum  genti  Anglorum  antea  misit,  nisi  cum  episcopis 
instituisset  destitutas  parochias  episcoporum  secundum  anti- 
quam  traditionem  quae  tradita  est  genti  Anglorum  a  sede 
Sancti  Petri ;  nam  per  septem  annos  plene  destituta  est  regio 
Jeuuissorum,  vel  Uuest-Saxonum,  ab  omni  episcopo.  Quo 
facto,  congregavit  Eaduuardus  rex  synodum  senatorum  genti s 
Anglorum,  in  quo  presidebat  Plegmundus  archiepiscopus,  regi 
recitans  et  disputans  districta  verba  apostolicae  legationis  quam 
misit  beatus  papa  Formosus.  Tune  sibi  rex  cum  suis,  et  Pleg 
mundus  archiepiscopus  salubre  consilium  invenerunt,  assu- 
mentes  sibi  dominicam  sententiam,  Messis  quidem  multa  est, 
operarii  vero  pauci ;  singulisque  tribubus  Jeuuissorum  (vel 
Uuest-Saxonum)  singulos  constituere  episcopos,  et  singulis 
episcopia  constituere,  et  quod  dudum  duo  habuerunt  in  quin- 
que  diviserunt.  Acto  illo  consilio,  cum  honorificis  muneribus 
Plegmundus  archiepiscopus  Romam  rediit,  apostolicum  For- 
mosum  cum  magna  humilitate  placavit,  regis  decreta,  et  seni- 
orum  regionis  enuntiavit,  quod  et  apostolico  maxime  placuit. 
Rediens  ad  patriam,  in  urbe  Dorobernia  vn.  episcopos  vn. 
ecclesiis  in  uno  die  ovdinavit :  Frythestanum  ad  ecclesiam 

1  Pages  9,  96. 


142  APPENDIX. 

Uuentaniensem,^Ethelstanum  ad  ecclesiam  Corvmenseni,Waer- 
stanum  ad  ecclesiam  Sciraburnensem,  ^Ethilhelmum  ad  eccle- 
siam  Fontaniensem,  Eadulfum  ad  ecclesiam  Cridionensem. 
Insuper  addiderunt  illi  tres  villas  in  Cornubia,  quorum  nomina 
Polltun,  Caelling,  Landuuithan,  ut  inde  singulis  annis  visitaret 
gentem  Cornubiensem  ad  exprimendos  eorum  errores :  nam 
antea,  in  quantum  potuerant,  veritati  resistebant,  et  non  de- 
cretis  apostolicis  obediebant ;  sed  et  aliis  provinciis  constituit 
duos;  Australibus-Saxonibus  virum  idoneum  Beorneh  ordi- 
navit,  et  Mercionibus  Coenuulfum  ad  civitatem  quae  dicitur 
Dorceceaster :  hoc  *  *  *  *  sic  papa  apostolicus  in  synodis 
ecclesiae  Sancti  Petri  conclusit,  ut  dampnaretur  imperpetuum 
qui  hoc  salubre  mutaret  consilium. 

Anno  vero  Dominicae  incarnationis  mxliij.  loco  xi.  post 
Eduuardum  predictum,  filium  scilicet  Alfridi  regis,  imperium 
totius  Anglorum  regni  suscepit  Eduuardus,  filius  Athelredi 
regis,  die  domitrico  Pascae,  id  est  iij.  non.  Aprilis,  cum  magno 
gaudio  totius  gentis  Angliae,  in  Uuiiitonia  civitate  consecratus. 
Tertio  autem  anno  imperii  sui^  id  est  anno  mxlvj.  Dominicae 
incarnationis,  dedit  episcopatum  Cridionensis  ecclesias,  atque 
Cornubiensis  provincial,  capellano  suo  Leofrico,  vita  moribus- 
que  modesto ;  qui  vir  venerabilis  accepto  pontificatus  honore 
diocesim  suam  perlustrans,  populo  sibi  commisso,  verbum  Dei 
studiose  predicabat,  clericos  doctrina  informabat,  ecclesias  non 
paucas  construebat,  et  cetera  quae  officii  sui  erant  strenue  am- 
ministrabat.  Cernens  vero  utramque  provinciam  diocesis  suae, 
id  est  Devenoniam,  et  Cornubiam,  piratarum  barbarica  infes- 
tatione  saepius  devastari,  ccepit,  divina,  ut  credimus,  inspira- 
tione,  diligenter  meditari  qualiter  episcopalem  cathedram 
Cridionensis  loci  ad  urbem  Exonicam  transferre  posset.  Et 
quia  sagaci  animo  prospexit,  hoc  absque  Romanae  aecclesiae 
auctoritate  fieri  non  posse;  misso  iliac  idoneo  legato,  id  est, 
Landberto  presbytero  suo,  ad  sanctissimum  papam  Leonem, 
humiliter  postulavit,  quatinus,  directis  paternitatis  suae  literis 


APPENDIX.  143 

regem  Eduuardum  rogaret,  ut  de  Cridionensi  villa  ad  urbem 
Exoniensem  cpiscopalem  sedem  transmigrare  conccdcret; 
ubi,  ab  hostilitatis  incursu  liber,  tutius  ecclesiastica  officia  dis- 
poncre  posset.  Apostolicus  vero  pontifex  libenter  ration  a- 
bili  ejus  petition!  annuens.  hujusmodi  literas  regi  Eduuardo 
direxit. 

Leo  episcopus  servus  servorum  Dei,  Eduuardo,  Anglorum 
regi  salutem  karissimam  cum  benedictione  apostolica.  Si 
bene  babes  et  bene  vales,  inde  non  modicas  domino  Jesu 
Christo  referimus  gratias,  et  hoc  optamus  ut  ita  luculenter 
possideas  regni  gubernacula,  ut  in  aeterna  maneas  taberuacula. 
Et  quia  audivimus  te  circa  Dei  ecclesias  et  ecclesiasticos  viros 
studiosum  et  religiosum  esse,  inde  multum  gaudemus,  et  hoc 
ammonemus  atque  benigne  rogamus,  ut  ita  in  Dei  opere  per- 
severare  studeas,  quatenus  regi  regum  Deo  placere  valeas, 
atque  cum  illo  in  coelesti  regno  permaneas.  Notum  itaque 
est  nostrae  pietati  qualiter  Leofricus  episcopus  sine  civitate 
sedem  pontificalem  tenet,  unde  multum  miramur,  non  de  illo 
solo,  sed  et  de  omnibus  illis  episcopis  qui  talia  agunt.  Cum 
vero  ad  vos  nostrum  miserimus  legatum,  de  aliis  dicemus, 
nunc  autem  de  nostro  fratre  jam  dicto  Leofrico  praecipimus 
atque  rogamus,  ut  propter  domini  et  nostri  amoris  causam 
adjutorium  praebeas,  ut  a  Cridionensi  villula  ad  civitatem 
Exoniam  sedem  episcopalem  possit  mutare.  Haec  et  alia  bona 
opera  ita  agere  studeas,  ut  a  Christo  Domino  aeternum  regnum 
adquirere  valeas.  Vale  karissime  semper  in  Domino. 

His  rex  litteris  cum  magna  devotione  assensum  praebens, 
ilico  dedit  praedicto  episcopo  monasterium  Sanctae  Marias  et 
Sancti  Petri  apostoli  in  civitate  Exonia,  ut  ibi  episcopale 
solium  construeret,  et  post  aliquot  menses  illuc  veniens  rex 
ipse  gloriosus,  per  brachium  dextrum  episcopum  ducens,  et 
nobilissima  regina  Edgitha  per  sinistrum,  in  cathedram  pon 
tificalem  in  praefato  monasterio  constituerunt  praesentibus 
ducibus,  multisque  Angliae  proceribus. 


144  APPENDIX. 

Sicque  venerabilis  vir  Leofricus,  anno  dominicae  incarna- 
tionis,  ml.  indict  iij.  cum  magna  gloria  enthronizatus,  primus 
episcopus  factus  est  Exoniensis  ecclesiae,  jussuque  regis  ca- 
nonicos  ibi  constituit.  Et  quia  locus  ille  terris,  libris,  omiii- 
busque  ornamentis  ecclesiasticis  pene  despoliatus  erat  (nam 
ex  xxvj.  terris  quas  rex  religiosus  ^Ethelstanus  illuc  dedit, 
vix  una  vilissima  remansit,  et  tres  codices,  feretrumque  reli- 
quarum)  prsesul  ipse  de  suis  propriis  multo  tempore  congre- 
gationem  pavit,  et  cum  maximo  studio,  quantum  potuit, 
locum  ilium  restauravit  et  emendavit,  datisque  illuc  tribus 
proprietatis  suae  terris  augmentavit.  Anno  autem  dominicae 
incarnationis  mlxxj.  episcopatus  vero  sui  anno  xxvj.  die  quarto 
idus  Februarii,  ex  hac  erumnosa  vita  subtractus,  sepultus  est 
in  cripta  ejusdem  ecclesiae,  pro  cujus  animae  requie,  pie  lector 
non  omittas  or  are. 

NOTE. — If  we  compare  the  original  passage  in  William  of 
Malmesbury,  which  we  subjoin,  with  the  text  given  above 
(see  before,  page  9),  it  will  be  apparent  that  the  historian 
must  have  had  the  Bodleian  MS.  before  him  when  he  wrote 
the  passage : — 

"  Sed  ut  ad  nostrum  Eadwardum  revertar,  quid  ejus  tem 
pore  de  renovandis  Episcopatibus  a  Papa  Formoso  praeceptum 
sit,  jocundum  puto  memoratu,  itaque  verbis  eisdem  quibus 
inveni  scripta  interseram. 

" Anno  a  quo  nativitate  Domini  transacti  sunt  anni  non- 
genti  quatuor,misit  Papa  Formosus  in  Angliam  epistolas  quibus 
dabat  excommunicationem  et  maledictionem  regi  Edwardo  et 
omnibus  subjectis  ejus,  pro  benedictione  quam  dederat  beatus 
Gregorius  genti  Anglorum  a  sede  Sancti  Petri.  Nam  per 
septem  annos  plenos  destituta  fuerat  episcopis  omnis  regio 
Geuisorum  id  est  West  Saxonum.  Quo  audito  congregavit 
rex  Edwardus  synodum  Senatoris  gentis  Anglorum,  qui  prsesi- 
debat  Pleimundus  Archiepiscopus  Cantuariensis  interpretans 


APPENDIX.  145 

districte  verba  legationis.  Turn  rex  et  Episcopi  elegere  sibi 
suisq  salubre  consilium  et  juxta  vocem  Dominicam  (Messis 
quidem  multa,  operarii  autem  pauci)  elegerunt  et  constituerunt 
singulos  Episcopos  singulis  provinciis  Geuisorum  et  quod  olim 
duo  habuerunt  in  quinque  diviserunt.  Acto  consilio  Archie- 
piscopus  Romam  cum  honorificis  muneribus  adiit,  Papam  cum 
magna  humilitate  placavit,  decretum  regis  recitavit  quod 
Apostolico  maxime  placuit.  Rediens  ad  patriam  in  urbe  Can- 
tuariae  uno  die  septem  Episcopos  septem  ecclesiis  ordinavit. 
Fridestanum  ad  ecclesiam  Wintoniensem,  Adelstanum  ad 
Cornubiensem,  Werstanum  ad  Scireburnensem,  Adelelmum 
ad  Wellensem,  Edulfum  ad  Cridiensem.  Sed  et  aliis  provinciis 
constituit  duos  Episcopos.  Australibus  Saxonicis  virum  ido- 
neum  Bernegum  et  Merciis  Chenulfum  ad  civitatem  Dorces- 
trae :  hoc  autem  totum  Papa  firmavit  ut  damnaretur  in  per- 
petuum  qui  hoc  infirmaret  decretum." — Gul.  de  Malm.  Gest. 
Reg.  Aug.,  lib.  ii.  c.  5. 

It  may  be  some  assistance  in  forming  an  opinion  of  the 
credibility  of  this  statement,  if  we  give  the  following  memo 
randa  : — 

Pope  Formosus  died  A.D.  896.  Edward's  reign  began 
A.D.  901. 

The  signature  of  B.  Denewulph,  Frithestan's  predecessor, 
appears  for  the  last  time  in  the  Charters  in  the  year  904,  and 
Frithestan's  for  the  first  time  in  908,  and  mention  at  the 
same  time  is  made  of  the  recent  subdivision  of  the  Winchester 
see  into  two,  in  Frithestan's  episcopacy.  It  may  be  gathered 
from  some  MSS.  of  Flor.  of  Wor.  that  Wilton  was  the  new  see. 

The  signature  of  Asser,  Bishop  of  Sherborne,  appears  in  the 
Charters  for  the  last  time  in  904.  His  death  is  assigned  to 
different  dates:  by  Sax.  Chron.,  to  910;  Ann.  Camb.,  908; 
Brut  y  Tyw.,  906. 

According  to  Florence,  the  first  four  bishops  of  Wells  were 
^Ethelm,  Wulfhelm  (both  of  whom,  he  informs  us,  succeeded 

L 


146  APPENDIX. 

to  the  archiepiscopate  of  Canterbury) ,  Alpheagus,Wulfhelmus. 
Now  Plegmund's  signature,  as  archbishop,  will  be  found  down 
to  909,  and  a  charter  of  Wulfhelm,  as  archbishop,  bears  date 
923;  consequently,  in  the  interval  since  the  death  of  Denewulph 
or  Asser,  not  only  must  the  see  of  Wells  have  been  created, 
but  its  first  bishop  must  have  been  translated  to  Canterbury, 
and  died.  The  earliest  signature  of  a  bishop  of  Wells  eo  nomine 
is  Wulf helm's  in  935,  the  fourth  bishop  in  Florence's  list. 

The  signature  of  a  Bishop  Eadulph  first  appears  in  the 
Charters  in  926 ;  but  the  first  notice  of  the  see  is  J^thelstan's 
grant  in  933. 

Although  the  vacancy  of  the  sees  for  seven  years,  and  the 
consequent  interposition  of  Pope  Formosus,  are  contradicted 
by  the  above  evidences,  the  creation  of  the  Wilton,  Wells, 
and  Crediton  sees,  about  the  time  asserted,  is  fully  established 
by  them. 


Translation  of  the  Bodleian  MS. 

IN  the  year  when  905  years  had  been  completed  from  the 
nativity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Formosus,  the  Apostolic 
Pontiff  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  sent  to  England,  unto  King 
Edward,  the  son  of  Alfred,  moved  with  great  wrath,  as  well  as 
piety,  and  denounced  on  him  and  all  his  subjects  malediction, 
instead  of  the  benediction  which  the  blessed  Pope  Gregory, 
by  the  holy  man  Augustine,  formerly  sent  to  the  English, 
unless  with  his  bishops  he  instituted  the  dioceses  which  were 
destitute  of  bishops,  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  tradition 
which  had  been  transmitted  to  the  English  from  the  seat 
of  Saint  Peter;  for  during  seven  years  the  district  of  the 
Jeuuissi,  or  West  Saxons,  had  been  wholly  destitute  of  every 
bishop.  Upon  this,  King  Edward  assembled  a  synod  of  the 
English  senators,  which  was  presided  over  by  Archbishop 
Plegmund,  who  recited  to  the  King,  and  commented  strictly 


APPENDIX.  147 

on  the  words  of  the  apostolic  message  which  the  blessed  Pope 
Formosus  had  sent.  Then  did  the  King,  with  his  people  and 
the  Archbishop  Plegmund,  light  upon  wholesome  counsel  for 
themselves,  taking  to  themselves  the  saying  of  our  Lord, 
"  The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are  few;" 
and  to  the  several  provinces  of  the  Jeuuissi  (or  West  Saxons) 
they  appointed  as  many  bishops ;  and  to  each  they  appointed 
a  bishoprick,  and  that  which  lately  two  only  had,  they  divided 
into  five.  Having  taken  this  measure,  Plegmund,  the  arch 
bishop,  returned  to  Rome  with  handsome  gifts;  appeased 
the  apostolic  Formosus  with  much  humility;  made  known 
the  decrees  of  the  King  and  of  the  elders  of  the  country, 
which  to  the  apostolic  personage  was  especially  pleasing. 
Returning  to  his  country,  in  the  city  of  Canterbury,  seven 
bishops  to  seven  churches  he  ordained  in  one  day — Frythestan, 
to  the  church  of  Winchester ;  ^Ethelstan,  to  the  Corvinensian 
church;  Wcerstan,  to  the  church  of  Sherborne;  /Ethilhelm, 
to  the  church  of  Wells ;  Eadulph,  to  the  church  of  Crediton  : 
moreover  they  added  to  him  three  vills  in  Cornwall,  the 
names  of  which  are — Polltun,  Calling,  Landuuithan — that 
he  might  from  thence  visit  every  year  the  Cornish  race,  to 
extirpate  their  errors ;  for  before  then,  as  far  as  they  could, 
they  had  resisted  the  truth,  and  had  not  obeyed  the  apostolic 
decrees.1  But  he  likewise  appointed  to  other  provinces  two 
[bishops] .  To  the  South  Saxons  he  ordained  Beorneh,  a  fit 
person ;  and  to  the  Mercians,  Ccenuulf,  at  the  city  which  is 
called  Dorchester.  This  *  *  *  *  so  did  the  apostolic  Pope,  in 
the  synods  of  the  church  of  Saint  Peter,  make  conclusive, 
that  he  should  be  for  ever  damned  who  should  violate  this 
salutary  ordinance. 

But  in  the  year  of  our  Lord's  incarnation  1043,  and  in  the 
eleventh  place  after  the  aforesaid  Edward,  the  son,  to  wit, 
of  King  Alfred,  Edward,  the  son  of  King  Athelred,  succeeded 

1  Page  100,  note. 


148  APPENDIX. 

to  the  government  of  the  entire  kingdom  of  England,  on 
Easter  Day,  on  the  third  of  the  nones  of  April,  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  whole  English  people,  and  was  consecrated  at  the 
city  of  Winchester.  But  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign,  that 
is,  in  the  year  1046  of  the  Lord's  incarnation,  he  conferred 
the  episcopacy  of  the  church  of  Crediton,  and  of  the  province 
of  Cornwall,  upon  his  chaplain  Leofrick,  a  person  of  modest 
life  and  manners ;  and  this  revered  man,  having  received  the 
honour  of  the  pontificate,  going  about  his  diocese,  diligently 
preached  the  word  of  God  to  the  people  committed  to  him, 
instructed  his  clergy  in  doctrine,  constructed  not  a  few 
churches,  and  administered  vigorously  the  other  duties  of 
his  office.  Seeing,  however,  that  each  province  of  his  diocese, 
that  is,  Devon  and  Cornwall,  had  been  frequently  devastated 
by  the  barbarous  attacks  of  pirates,  he  began  (under  divine 
inspiration,  as  we  think)  to  consider  by  what  means  the  epis 
copal  chair  of  the  Crediton  see  could  be  transferred  to  the 
city  of  Exeter.  And  forasmuch  as  it  was  clear  to  his  saga 
cious  mind  that  this  could  not  be  accomplished  without  the 
authority  of  the  church  of  Rome,  having  sent  thither  a  fit 
messenger,  namely,  Landbert,  his  priest,  he  humbly  besought 
the  most  holy  Pope  Leo,  that,  by  his  paternal  letters  direct,  he 
would  request  of  King  Edward  that  he  would  concede  the 
removal  of  the  episcopal  seat  from  the  vill  of  Crediton  to  the 
city  of  Exeter ;  where,  secure  from  hostile  attack,  he  might 
be  able  to  execute  his  ecclesiastical  duties  in  greater  safety. 
In  sooth  the  apostolic  Pontiff,  willingly  assenting  to  his  rea 
sonable  petition,  addressed  a  letter,  in  these  words,  to  King 
Edward : — 

"  Leo,  bishop,  the  servant  of  the  servants  of  God,  to  Edward, 
King  of  the  English,  most  affectionate  salutation,  with  the 
apostolic  blessing  !  If  you  and  yours  are  well,  on  that  account 
no  little  thanks  do  we  offer  to  the  Lord  Christ ;  and  this  do  we 
desire,  that  you  may  so  brightly  preside  over  the  government 


APPENDIX.  149 

of  your  kingdom,  that  you  may  rest  in  the  eternal  tabernacles.1 
And  forasmuch  as  we  have  heard  that  you  are  earnestly  and 
religiously  disposed  towards  the  churches  of  God  and  the 
clergy,  on  this  account  we  much  rejoice;  and  this  we  do 
advise  and  kindly  request,  that  you  may  so  study  to  persevere 
in  God's  work,  as  to  be  able  to  please  the  King  of  kings, 
and  that  with  him,  in  the  heavenly  kingdom,  you  may  abide. 
It  has  been  made  known  to  our  piety  how  Leofrick  the 
bishop  holds  his  pontifical  seat  without  a  city,  at  which  we 
are  much  surprised :  not  on  account  of  him  only,  but  of  all 
those  bishops  who  so  act.  When  indeed  we  shall  have  sent  to 
you  our  legate,  we  will  speak  of  the  others ;  but  now  concern 
ing  our  brother  Leofrick,  already  mentioned,  we  command  and 
entreat,  that  for  the  Lord's  sake,  and  the  sake  of  our  love, 
you  give  your  assistance,  to  enable  him  to  transfer  his  epis 
copal  seat  from  the  vill  of  Crediton  to  the  city  of  Exeter. 
These,  and  other  good  works,  may  you  so  study  to  perform, 
that  you  may  be  able  to  obtain  from  Christ  the  Lord  the 
eternal  kingdom.  Farewell,  most  affectionately,  ever  in  the 
Lord!" 

To  this  letter  the  King,  with  much  devotion  yielding  assent, 
forthwith  bestowed  on  the  aforesaid  bishop  the  monastery  of 
Saint  Mary  and  Saint  Peter  the  Apostle,  in  the  city  of  Exeter, 
that  he  might  there  establish  an  episcopal  throne ;  and  after 
some  months,  the  glorious  King  coming  there,  conducting  the 
bishop  by  his  right  arm,  and  the  most  noble  Queen  Edgith 
by  his  left,  they  placed  him  in  the  pontifical  chair  in  the  afore 
said  monastery,  in  presence  of  the  dukes  and  many  English 
nobles. 

Thus  was  the  revered  man  Leofrick,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord's  incarnation  1050,  and  the  third  indiction,  enthroned 

1  It  would  not  be  easy  to  transfer  into  English  the  alliteration  between 
"  gubernacula  "  and  "  tabernacula  "  in  the  original,  which  seems  to  have  been 
designed. 


150  APPENDIX. 

with  great  pomp,  and  made  the  first  bishop  of  Exeter;  and 
there,  by  the  King's  command,  he  established  canons.  And 
because  that  place  had  been  almost  despoiled  of  its  lands, 
books,  and  ecclesiastical  furniture  (for  out  of  twenty-six 
estates  which  the  religious  King  ^Ethelstan  had  there  con 
ferred,  scarcely  one  of  worthless  value  remained,  and  three 
books,  and  a  case  of  relics),  the  prelate  himself,  out  of  his  own 
means,  for  a  long  time  supported  the  brotherhood ;  and  after 
the  greatest  efforts,  so  far  as  he  could,  he  restored  and  im 
proved  the  monastery,  and  augmented  it  by  the  gift  of  three 
estates  of  his  own  property;  but  in  the  year  of  the  Lord's 
incarnation  1071,  and  the  twenty-sixth  of  his  episcopacy,  on 
the  fourth  of  the  ides  of  February,  he  was  withdrawn  from 
this  troublesome  life,  and  was  buried  in  the  crypt  of  the  same 
church; — for  whose  souPs  rest,  pious  reader,  omit  not  to 
pray. 


151 


No.  VII. 

Table  of  the  Eorls  or  Dukes  of  Devonshire,  before  the  Conquest, 
so  far  as  they  are  known,  from  ancient  authorities. 


DATE. 

NAME. 

ATTTHOEITY. 

A.D.  851 

Ceorl      .... 

Sax.  Chron.      Ethelwerd's  Chron.     Asserius. 

Flor.  Wig.  Chron. 

878 

Odda     .     :     .     . 

Ethelw.  Chron. 

901 

JEthered     .     .     . 

Sax.  Chron.     Henr.  Hunt.  Hist. 

964 

Ordgar  .... 

Sax.  Chron.   Flor.  Wig.  Chron.  Chart.  No.  520, 

Cod.  Dip.  A.D.  966. 

997 

^thehceard1  .     . 

Chart.  No.  698,  Cod.  Dip. 

1013 

^Ethelmar  .     .     . 

Flor.  Wig.  Chron.     Sax.  Chron. 

1048 

Godwine     .     .     . 

Flor.  Wig.  Chron.  A.  1051.     He  was  Eorl  of 

Kent,  South  Saxony,  and  West  Saxony. 

Sax.  Chron.  A.  1048'. 

1051-2 

Odda,     Odo,     or 

Sax.  Chron.     Henr.  Hunt.  Hist.     Flor.  Wig. 

Agelwine      .     . 

Chron.     He  was  Eorl  of  Devon,  Somerset, 

and  Dorset,  and  over  the  WTelsh  (qucere, 

Cornu-  Welsh?). 

1052 

Godwine 

Sax.  Chron.     He  appears  to  have  been  rein 

(restored)    .     . 

stated  in  the  same  eorldom  he  had  before. 

1053 

Harold,     son     of 

Sax.  Chron.  Flor.  Wig.  Chron.    He  succeeded 

Godwine     .     . 

to  his  father's  eorldom,  and  afterwards  to 

the  crown  of  England. 

1  See  page  38. 

Note. — We  have  not  inserted  in  the  above  list  Goda,  A.D.  988,  and  Hugh  the 
Norman,  A.D  .1003  ;  for,  although  they  are  styled  Eorls  of  Devon  by  some  au 
thorities,  it  seems  clear  from  others,  that  Goda  was  "a  Thane"  only,  and  Hugh 
the  Sheriff"  of  Devon.  We  entertain  some  doubt  whether  JEthelbert  may  not 
be  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  list.  We  find  in  a  royal  charter  dated  1019, 
No.  729,  Cod.  Dip.,  the  following  passage  : — "yEthelbertus  dux  reuelauit  mihi 
quod  mei  prepositi  in  Defonia  provincia  imponebant  jugum  servitutis  prcDdiis 
sanctse  ecclesia?  qua?  est  in  Exencestria,"  &c.  It  seems  to  us  it  could  only  be  the 
Devonshire  eorl  who  would  have  thus  reported  to  the  King  the  misconduct  of 
the  Devonshire  reeves.  In  Roger  de  Hoveden's  Annals  we  find  it  stated,  under 
date  of  A.D.  1018,  "Brithric,  son  of  Elphege,  Eorl  of  Devonshire,  was  slain." 
But  this  title  is  not  supported  by  other  authoritien. 


152 


No.  VIII. 

Charter  of  King  Henry  III.,  confirming  the  Manor  of  Newton 
to  the  Canons  of  Bodmin,  formerly  granted  by  King 
Eadred.1 

[Cart.  57  H.  III.  m.  9.   Vide  Pat.  3  H.  VI.  p.  1.  m.  11.— Oliver's  Monas.  Exon.~] 

REX  archiepiscopis,  etc.  salutem.  Quia  accepimus  per  cartam 
Eadredi,  quondam  regisAnglie,quam  inspeximus,  quod  idem  rex 
concessit  et  confirmavit  pro  se  et  successoribus  suis  in  perpe- 
tuum  dilectis  nobis  in  Christo  priori  et  canonicis  de  Bodmine 
mauerium  de  Niwetone  cum  pertinentiis  in  comitatu  Devonie, 
quietum  ab  omni  servitio  seculari,  exceptis  Deo  orationibus ;  et 
per  inquisitionem  quam  fieri  fecimus,  similiter  accepimus  quod 
iidem  prior  et  canonici  et  eorum  homines  in  dicto  manerio 
quieti  sint  de  sectis  comitatus  Devonie  et  hundredi  nostri  de 
Shefbiri  et  turnorum  vicecomitum  per  eandem  cartam ;  nos 
predictam  quietantiam  cum  omnibus  aliis  libertatibus  in  carta 
ilia  contentis  ratam  habentes  et  gratam,  earn  pro  nobis  et  here- 
dibus  nostris  concedimus  et  confirmamus  sicut  carta  ejusdem 
regis  Eadredi,  quam  inde  habent,  rationabiliter  testatur.  His 
testibus ;  Guidone  Luzigan,  et  Willielmo  de  Valencia,  fratri- 
bus  nostris;  Petro  de  Sabaudia,  Johanne  Maunsel,  preposito 
Beverlaci,  Radulfo  filio  Nicholai,  Bertramo  de  Cryol,  Petro 
Chaceporc,  Magistro  Willielmo  de  Kilkenni,  archidiacono 
Coventrie,  Nicholao  de  Sancto  Mauro,  Johanne  de  Geres, 
et  aliis.  Datum  per  manum  nostram  apud  Westmonasterium 
quinto  decimo  die  Martii. 

1  Page  66. 


153 


Translation  of  the  foregoing. 

THE  King  to  the  Archbishops,  &c.,  greeting.  Inasmuch  as 
we  have  learnt  from  the  charter  of  Eadred,  formerly  King  of 
England,  which  we  have  inspected,  that  the  same  king  granted 
and  confirmed,  for  himself  and  his  successors  for  ever,  to  our 
beloved  in  Christ,  the  Prior  and  Canons  of  Bodmine,  the 
manor  of  Niwetone,  with  the  appurtenances,  in  the  county  of 
Devon,  acquitted  from  every  secular  service,  except  prayers  to 
God;  and  from  the  inquiry  we  have  caused  to  be  made,  we 
have,  in  like  manner,  learnt  that  the  same  prior  and  canons, 
and  their  men,  in  the  said  manor  should  be  quit  of  suit  of  the 
county  of  Devon,  and  of  our  hundred  of  Shef  bir  (Shebbear), 
and  of  the  sheriff's  torns,  by  the  same  charter :  we,  the  afore 
said  quittance,  with  all  other  liberties  in  that  charter  con 
tained,  holding  established  and  approved,  the  same,  for  us  and 
our  heirs,  do  grant  and  confirm,  as  the  charter  of  the  same 
King  Eadred,  which  they  therefore  hold,  reasonably  testifies. 
These  being  witnesses  : — Guy  Luzigan  and  William  de  Va 
lence  our  brothers,  Peter  de  Savoy,  John  Maunsel,  Mayor  of 
Beverley,  Ralph  the  son  of  Nicholas,  Bertram  de  Cryol,  Peter 
Chaceporc,  Master  William  de  Kilkenni,  Archdeacon  of  Co- 
ventrie,  Nicholas  de  Seymour,  John  de  Geres,  and  others. 
Given  by  our  hand  at  Westminster,  the  15th  day  of  March. 


154  APPENDIX. 


No.  IX. 

Exemplification  of  the  Inquisition,  taken  32  Edw.  III.1 

[Oliv.  Hon.;  Dugd.  Hon.;  Pat.  Eot.  7  Bic.  II.] 

BEX  dilectis  sibi  in  Christo,  priori  et  canonicis,  ecclesie 
Sancti  Germani,  in  Cornubia_,  salutem.  Compertum  fait  nuper 
per  quandam  inquisitionem  coram  Johanne  Skyrbek,  escaetore 
Domini  Edwardi,  nuper  regis  Anglie,  avi  nostri,  anno  regni 
sui  tricesimo  secundo,  de  mandate  ejusdem  avi  nostri  captam, 
et  in  cancellariam  suam  retornatam,  quod  quidam  Rex  Anglic, 
nomine  Knout,  dedit  Deo,  et  ecclesie  Sancti  Germani,  et  ibidem 
Deo  servientibus,  terras  et  tenementa,  in  brevi  ipsius  avi  nostri 
contenta,  et  tune  fuit  ibidem  sedes  episcopalis  Cornubie,  et  epis- 
copus  nomine  Brithwaldus  ac  canonici  seculares ;  demum,  reg 
nant e  Knout  rege  predicto,  quidam  Lyvyngus,  episcopus  Crydi- 
ton,  obtinuit  episcopatum  Cornubie,  post  mortem  predicti 
Brithwoldi,  qui  ultimus  fuit  Cornubie  episcopus,  uniri  cum 
episcopatu  Cryditon.  Cui  Lyvyngo  successit  Leofricus,  qui 
obtinuit  illos  duos  episcopatus,  sic  unitos,  usque  tempus  beati 
Edwardi  Regis,  et  Confessoris,  Qui  quidem  Edwardus,  de  pre- 
cepto  et  assensu  Pape  Leonis,  transtulit  sedem  Cryditon  in 
civitatem  Exonie,  et  postea  idem  Leofricus,  Episcopus,  fundavit 
apud  Sanctum  Germanum,  prioratum  canonicorum  regularium, 
canonicis  secularibus  ammotis.  Et  quod  sic  est  dictus  prio- 
ratus  de  fundacione,  et  patronatu  episcopi  Exonie  continuatus 
usque  ad  diem  inquisitionis  predicte ;  et  episcopus  Exonie, 
qui  pro  tempore  fuerit,  habeat  vacaciones  prioratus  predicti, 
cum  contigerint,  et  habuit  a  tempore  cujus  contrarii  memoria 
non  existit.  Ac  prefatus  avus  noster,  octavo  die  Octobris, 

1  Page  76. 


APPENDIX.  155 

dicto  anno  regni  sui  tricesimo  secundo,  tenorem  inquisitionis 
predicte,  per  literas  suas  patentes  exemplificari  fecit,  et 
nos  quinto  decimo  die  Octobris  ultimo,  jam  preterite,  dictas 
literas  patentes  ipsius  avi  nostri,  ad  requisicionem  venerabilis 
patris  Thome  de  Brantyngham,  episcopi  Exonie,  per  literas 
nostras  patentes,  duximus  exemplificandas,  et  hoc  sub  tenore 
presencium  significamus,  ut  super  hiis  que  jus  ipsius  episcopi 
concernunt,  in  hac  parte  melius  et  evidentius  possitis  informari, 
ad  effectum  quod  idem  episcopus,  in  premissis  per  vos  nulla- 
tenus  injurietur.  Teste  rege  apud  Westmonasterium,  decimo 
die  Novembris  anno  regni  nostri  septimo. 

Note. — The  inquisition  referred  to  will  be  found  in  Dugcl.  Monast.,  nearly  in 
the  same  words  as  it  is  set  out  in  the  above  exemplification,  except  that  after 
the  words  "  in  brevi  contenta  "  is  inserted  "  scil.  tria  messuagia  et  duas  acras 
terra  et  dimidiam  cum  pertinentiis  in  Laurake  in  com.  Cornubise."  The  inqui 
sition  is  distinguished  by  italics. 


Translation  of  the  foregoing, 

THE  King,  to  his  beloved  in  Christ  the  Prior  and  Canons 
of  the  church  of  Saint  Germans,  in  Cornwall,  health.  It 
was  lately  found  by  a  certain  inquisition,  taken  before  John 
Skyrbek,  escheator  of  the  Lord  Edward,  late  King  of  England, 
our  ancestor,  in  the  thirty-second  year  of  his  reign,  by  com 
mand  of  our  same  ancestor,  and  in  his  chancery  returned : 
Inquisition  tnat  a  certain  King  of  England,  Knout  by  name, 

recited.       gave  ^Q  QQ(^  an^  jjie  c^wrc^  Of  Saint  Germans,  and 

to  those  there  serving  God,  lands  and  tenements,  in  the  writ  of 
our  same  ancestor  contained;  and  then  the  episcopal  see  of 
Cornwall  was  at  that  place,  and  a  bishop,  by  name  Brithwald, 
and  secular  canons.  At  length,  in  the  reign  of  the  aforesaid 
King  Knout,  one  Lyvyngus,  bishop  of  Cryditon,  obtained  the 
bishoprick  of  Cornwall,  after  the  death  of  the  aforesaid  Brith- 
wold,  who  was  the  last  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  to  be  united  with 
the  bishoprick  of  Cryditon.  To  which  Lyvingus  succeeded 


156  APPENDIX. 

Leofrickj  who  obtained  both  of  those  bishopricks  so  united,  until 
the  time  of  the  blessed  Edward,  King  and  Confessor;  which 
Edward,  by  the  direction  and  with  the  assent  of  Pope  Leo, 
transferred  the  see  of  Cryditon  to  the  city  of  Exeter;  and 
afterwards,  the  same  Bishop  Leofrick  founded  at  St.  Germans 
a  priory  of  regular  canons,  the  secular  canons  being  removed. 
And  that  so  the  aforesaid  priory,  on  the  foundation  and  in  the 
patronage  of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  has  continued  unto  the  day 
of  the  aforesaid  inquisition ;  and  the  Bishop  of  Exeter  for  the 
time  being  has  the  vacations  of  the  aforesaid  priory,  when 
they  happen,  and  has  had  them  from  the  time  whereof  memory 
exists  not  to  the  contrary.  And  our  ancestor  aforesaid,  on  the 
eighth  day  of  October,  in  the  said  thirty-second  year  of  his 
reign,  caused  the  tenor  of  the  inquisition  aforesaid,  by  his 
letters  patent,  to  be  exemplified ;  and  we,  on  the  fifteenth  day 
of  October  now  last  past,  the  said  le'tters  patent  of  our  same 
ancestor,  at  the  request  of  the  venerable  father,  Thomas  de 
Brantyngham,  Bishop  of  Exeter,  by  our  letters  patent  have 
occasioned  to  be  exemplified,  and  this,  under  the  tenor  of  these 
presents,  we  signify :  that  touching  those  things  which  con 
cern  the  right  of  the  same  bishop,  in  this  respect  you  may  be 
the  better  and  more  plainly  informed,  to  the  effect  that  the 
same  bishop,  in  the  premises,  by  you  may  be  in  no  wise  in 
jured.  Witness  the  King  at  Westminster,  the  tenth  day  of 
November,  in  the  seventh  year  of  our  reign. 


APPENDIX.  157 


No.  X. 

Placita  de  quo  waranto  comitatu  Cornubia,1  30  Edw.  1. 
(Printed  edition,  page  1 10.) 

[Oliver's  Mon.  Exon.~] 

PRIOR  de  Bodmyn  summonitus  fuit  ad  respondendum  do 
mino  regi  de  placito  quo  waranto  clamat  habere  furcas  pillorium 
sok  et  sak  tol  et  tern  visum  franci  plegii  emendara  assise  panis 
et  cervisie  fracte  mercatum  et  feriam  in  Bodmyn  et  weyf  per 
totum  hundredum  de  Pudrechire  et  emendas  assise  panis  et 
cervisie  fracte  et  placitum  vetiti  namii  in  Aldestowe,  et  eciam 
liberam  piscariam  per  totam  aquam  de  Aleyn  et  Eyle,  etc. 

Et  prior  venit  et  dicit  quod  ipse  et  omnes  predecessores  sui, 
a  tempore  quo  non  extat  memoria,  habuerunt  predictas  liber- 
tates  et  eis  usi  fuerunt  hucusque  absque  aliqua  interupcione, 
&c.  Et  de  hoc  ponit  se  super  patriam  et  Johannes  de  Mutford 
*  *  *  [hiatus] . 

Juratores  dicunt  super  sacramentum  suum  quod  predictus 
prior  et  omnes  predecessores  sui  a  tempore  quo  non  extat  me- 
moria  habuerunt  predictas  libertates  et  eis  hucusque  usi  sunt 
sine  interupcione,  etc.  Ideo  predictus  prior  inde  sine  die,  etc. 
Salvo,  etc. 

Et  Johannes  de  Mutford  qui  sequitur  pro  rege  dicit  quod 
istum  placitum  est  quoddam  annexum  corone  domini  rcgis  et 
originem  capit  infra  memoriam  et  non  tempore  quo  extat 
memoria,  etc.  Et  dicit  quod  predictus  prior  non  habet  retor- 
num  brevium  domini  regis.  Et  petit  judicium. 

Ibid.,  9  Edw.  I.,  incipiente  decimo.   (Page  165.) 
PRIOR  de  Bodmyne  summonitus  fuit  ad  respondendum  do- 
1  Page  62. 


158  APPENDIX. 

mino  regi  de  placito  quod  faciat  sectam  ad  hundredum  domini 
regis  de  Schacbere  quam  ad  illud  facere  debet,  etc. 

Et  prior  venit  et  dicit  quod  dominus  Henricus  rex  pater 
domini  regis  nunc  concessit  quod  ipse  et  omnes  antecessores 
sui  quieti  sint  de  sectis  shirarum  et  hundredorum  et  profert 
cartam  predicti  domini  regis  que  hoc  testatur.  Ideo  predictus 
prior  quoad  hoc  sine  die,  etc. — Rot.  34  d. 

Ibid.— Page  166. 

PRIOR  de  Bodmine  summonitus  fuit  ad  respondendum  do 
mino  regi.  de  placito  quo  waranto  clamat  habere  visum  franci 
plegii  furcas  emendas  assise  panis  et  cervisie  fracte  in  Nywen- 
ton  sine  licencia,  etc. 

Et  prior  per  attornatum  suum  venit  et  dicit  quod  ipse  et 
omnes  predecessores  sui,  priores  de  Bodmine,  a  tempore  a  quo 
non  extat  memoria  usi  sunt  predictis  liber tatibus  ut  de  jure 
ecclesie  sue  Sancti  Petroci. 

Et  Willielmus  de  Giselham  qui  sequitur,  etc.,  dicit  quod 
predicta  villa  de  Nywenton  ubi  predictus  prior  habet  predictas 
libertates  est  infra  hundredum  domini  regis  de  Senebyr 
[Shebbear]  ubi  nulli  liceat  hujusmodi  libertates  obtinere  sine 
speciali  waranto  de  domino  rege,  nee  idem  prior  aliquod  inde 
extendit  warantum  de  domino  rege,  petit  judicium.  Dies 
datus  est  ei  a  die  Pasche  in  unum  mensem  coram  domino 
rege  ubicumque,  etc.  de  audiendo  judicio  suo,  etc. — Rot.  35. 


Translation  of  the  foregoing. 

Pleas  of  "  Quo  Waranto"  in  the  County  of  Cormvall, 
30  Edw.  I. 

THE  Prior  of  Bodmyn  was  summoned  to  answer  the  Lord 
the  King  of  a  plea,  by  what  authority  he  claims  to  have  gal 
lows,  pillory,  sok  and  sak,  tol  and  tern,  view  of  frankpledge, 


APPENDIX.  159 

correction  of  breach  of  assize  of  bread  and  beer,  market  and 
fair,  in  Bodmyn ;  and  wcyf,  throughout  the  whole  hundred  of 
Pydrcshire ;  and  correction  of  breach  of  assize  of  bread  and 
beer,  and  plea  of  withernam,  in  Aldestowe ;  and  also  free 
fishery  throughout  the  whole  water  of  Aleyn  and  Eyle,  &c. 

And  the  prior  comes  and  says  that  he  himself,  and  all  his 
predecessors,  from  time  beyond  memory,  have  had  the  afore 
said  liberties,  and  have  exercised  them  until  now,  without  any 
interruption,  &c.  And  of  this  he  puts  himself  on  the  country, 
and  John  of  Mutford  *  *  *  [wanting] . 

The  jurors,  upon  their  oath,  say  that  the  aforesaid  prior,  and 
all  his  predecessors,  from  time  beyond  memory,  have  had  the 
aforesaid  liberties,  and  have  exercised  them  until  now  without 
interruption,  &c.  Therefore  the  said  prior  thence  without  a 
day,  &c.,  save,  &c. 

And  John  of  Mutford,  who  sues  for  the  King,  says  that 
that  plea  is  matter  belonging  to  the  crown  of  the  Lord  the 
King,  and  takes  its  origin  within  memory,  and  not  from  time 
beyond  memory,  &c.,  and  he  says  that  the  aforesaid  prior  has 
not  the  return  of  writs  of  the  Lord  the  King.  And  he  asks 
judgment. 


The  same,  9  Edw.  I.,  and  beginning  of  10. 

THE  Prior  of  Bodmyne  was  summoned  to  answer  the  Lord 
the  King  of  a  plea,  that  he  do  suit  to  the  hundred  of  the  Lord 
the  King  of  Shacbere,  which  he  ought  to  do  to  it,  &c. 

And  the  prior  comes  and  says,  that  the  Lord  King  Henry, 
father  of  the  Lord  the  now  King,  granted  that  himself  and  all 
his  predecessors  should  be  quit  of  suits  of  shires  and  hundreds, 
and  he  produces  the  charter  of  the  aforesaid  Lord  the  King, 
which  testifies  this.  Therefore  the  aforesaid  prior,  as  to  this, 
without  a  day,  &c. 


160  APPENDIX. 


The  same. 

THE  Prior  of  Bodmine  was  summoned  to  answer  the  Lord 
the  King  of  a  plea,  by  what  authority  he  claims  to  have  view 
of  frankpledge,  gallows,  correction  of  breach  of  assize  of  bread 
and  beer,  in  Nywenton,  without  license,  &c. 

And  the  prior,  by  his  attorney,  comes  and  says,  that  him 
self  and  all  his  predecessors,  priors  of  Bodmine,  from  time 
beyond  memory,  have  exercised  the  aforesaid  liberties,  as  of 
the  right  of  their  church  of  Saint  Petrock. 

And  William  of  Giselham,  who  sues,  &c.,  says  that  the 
aforesaid  vill  of  Nywenton,  where  the  aforesaid  prior  has  the 
aforesaid  liberties,  is  within  the  hundred  of  the  Lord  the 
King,  of  Senebyr  [Shebbear],  where  it  is  lawful  for  none 
to  obtain  liberties  of  this  kind  without  the  special  authority 
of  the  Lord  the  King,  nor  does  the  same  prior  offer  any 
authority  of  the  Lord  the  King  for  the  same.  He  asks  judg 
ment.  A  day  is  given  to  him,  from  Easter-day,  in  one  month, 
before  the  Lord  the  King,  wheresoever,  &c.,  to  hear  his 
judgment,  &c. 


16 


No.  XL 

King  Mthelstarfs  Charter  enfranchising  the  See  of  Crediton} 

A.D.  933. 

[No.  362  Cod.  Dip.    MS.  Cott.  Aug.  n.  31.] 

»J<  FLEBILIA  fortit  detestanda  totillantis  soli  piacula  diris 
obscene  horrende  que  mortalitatis  circumsepta  latratibus  non 
nos  patria  indepte  pacis  secures  sed  quasi  fetide  corruptele  in 
uoragincm  casuros  prouocaiido  amraonent  ut  ea  toto  mentis 
conamine  cum  casibus  suis  non  solum  despiciendo  sed  etiam 
uelut  fastidiosam  melancolie  nausiam  abomiriando  fugiamus 
tendentes  ad  illud  euangelicum  date  et  dabitur  uobis.  Qua  de 
re  infima  quasi  peripsema  quisquiliarum  abiciens  superna  ad 
instar  pretiosorum  monilium  eliens  animum  sempiternis  in 
gaudiis  fiens  ad  nanciscendam  melliflue  dulcedinis  misericor- 
diam  perfruendamq:  infinite  letitiae  iocunditatem  ego  ,/€tyelsta- 
nus  per  omnipatrantis  dextam  apice  totius  albionis  sublimatus 
circumquaq :  basilicas  in  honore  dei  scorumq :  eius  dcdicatas 
prout  potero  ab  antiquo  ritu  uectigalium  redimam  quod  sibi 
mei  antecessores  usurpatiue  decreuerunt  habere.  nunc  uero  pro 
dei  omnipotentis  amore  et  beate  di  genetricis  marie  uenera- 
tione  scorumq  :  omium  auctoritate  necnon  pro  uenerabilis  epi 
eadulfi  placabilis  pecunie  datione  id  •r  .LX.  librarum  argenti 
tantam  libertate  episcopatui  cridiensis  ecclesie  perdonare  diiu- 
dicaui,  ut  sit  perpetualiter  tutus  atq :  munitus  ab  omnibus 
secularib  :  seruitutib  :  fiscis  regalib  :  tributis  maiorib :  et  mi- 
norib  :  atq :  expeditionalib  :  uidelicet  taxationib :  omniumq  : 
rerum  nisi  sola  expeditione  et  arcis  munitione.  Siquis  autem 
post  hoc  subdola  cauillatione  deceptus  nostrum  non  perhorres- 
cat  machinari  decretum  sciat  se  nouissima  ac  magna  examina- 

1  Pages  79,  101. 

M 


162  APPENDIX. 

tionis  die  classica  archangel!  clangente  salpice  bustis  sponte 
patentib :  somata  iam  rediuiua  propellentib  :  cum  iuda  prodi- 
tore  infaustoq:  pecuniarum  compilatore  suisq:  impiissimis 
fantorib  :  sub  seterne  maledictionis  anathemate  edacib  :  innu- 
merabilium  tormentorum  flammis  sine  defectu  periturum. 
Acta  est  hsec  pfate  libertatis  munificentia  .DCCCC.XXXIII.  domi- 
nice  incarnationis  anno.  Indictione  .vi.  his  testib  :  consentien- 
tib  :  signumq :  crucis  xpi  adponentib  :  quorum  nomina  infra 
caraxata  esse  monstrant. 

>J<  Ego  yBfelstanus  gratia  dflargiente  totius  brittannie  rex 
pfatam  libertatem  cum  sigillo  see  crucis  confirmaui. 

^  Ego  "Wulfhelm  dorobornensis  ecclesie  archieps  eiusdem 
regis  largitatem  cum  tropheo  see  crucis  consignaui. 

»J<  Ego  ^Elfeah  wintaniensis  eclesie  eps  triumphalem  agie 
crucis  tropheum  impressi. 

>J<  Ego  J?eodred  lundoniensis  eclesie  eps  consignaui. 

»J<  Ego  Coenwald  eps  consensi, 

»J<  Ego  Oda  eps  confirmaui. 

^  Ego  Wulfhun  eps  roboraui. 

^  Ego  ^Blf  here  dux. 

^  Ego  Wulfgar  dux. 

^  Ego  Uhtryd  dux. 

>J<  Ego  Odda  minlst. 

>J<  Ego  Eadmund  minister. 

»J<  Ego  Wulfsige  minister. 

>J<  Ego  Wulmser  minister. 

>J<  Ego  ^Elfsige  minister. 

>J<  Ego  ^Edric  minister. 

»J<  Ego  Ealhelm  minister. 


APPENDIX.  163 


Translation  of  King  dEt heist anys  Charier,  enfranchising  the 
See  of  Crediton. 

A.D.  933. 

>J<  THE  lamentable,  strongly  to  be  detested  offences  of  a 
decaying  age,  hedged  around,  as  they  are,  by  the 
dire  barkings  of  a  filthy  and  horrid  mortality,  ur 
gently  admonish  us,  who  are  not  safe  in  a  country  of  assured 
peace,  but  as  it  were  about  to  fall  into  a  vortex  of  fetid  corrup 
tion,  that  we  should  fly  from  them,  with  all  their  dangers,  with 
the  whole  effort  of  our  minds,  not  merely  despising,  but  even 
abominating  them,  as  we  would  a  loathing  nausea  of  black 
bile,  directing  ourselves  to  that  gospel  saying,  "  Give  and  it 
shall  be  given  unto  you."  For  which  reason,  cast- 
ing  away  the  lowest  things  as  the  offscouring  of 
refuse;  choosing  the  highest  as  if  precious  jewels;  and 
fixing  the  mind  on  everlasting  joys ;  in  order  to  obtain  the 
mercy  of  mellifluous  sweetness  and  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
infinite  bliss :  I,  ^Ethelstan,  raised  by  the  right  hand  of  the 
Almighty  to  the  top  of  all  Albion,  will,  every  where,  so  far  as 
I  shall  be  able,  redeem  the  churches  dedicated  in  honour  of 
God,  and  of  his  saints,  from  the  ancient  usage  of  taxes,  which 
my  ancestors  have  customarily  resolved  on  having  for  them 
selves.  Now,  truly,  for  the  honour  of  Almighty  God,  and  in 
reverence  of  the  blessed  Mary  the  mother  of  the  Lord,  for  the 
authority  of  all  the  saints,  as  well  as  for  the  gift  of  money 
agreed  to  be  taken  from  the  venerable  Bishop  Eadulf,  that  is, 
sixty  pounds  of  silver,  I  have  decreed  to  confer  freedom  upon 
the  episcopate  of  the  church  of  Crediton,  so  that  it  may  be 
perpetually  secure  and  protected  against  all  secular  services, 
royal  revenues,  greater  and  lesser  contributions,  and  war  taxes, 
to  wit,  and  every  thing,  save  only  military  service  and  fortress 


164  APPENDIX. 

reparation.     But  if  any  one  after  this,  deceived  by 
°n*  crafty  sophistry,  should  shrink  not  from  plotting 
against  our  ordinance,  let  him  know  that  at  the  last  and  great 
day  of  judgment,  when  the  trumpet  blast  of  the  archangel 
shall  sound,  and  the  graves,  opening  of  their  own  accord,  shall 
cast  forth  their  bodies  already  restored  to  life,  with  Judas  the 
betrayer  and  miserable  purloiner  of  money,  and  with  his  most 
impious  abettors,  under  the  anathema  of  an  eternal  curse,  he 
shall  perish,  without  fail,  in  the  devouring  flames  of  countless 
torments.     This  munificent  act  of  freedom  afore 
said  was  done  in  the  year  of  the  Lord's  incarnation 
933,  of  the  indiction  6,  these  witnesses  consenting, 
and  the  sign  of  the  cross  of  Christ  affixing,  whose 
names  are  shown  to  be  charactered  below : — 

»J<  I,  JEthelstan,  by  the  bounty  of  the  Lord's  grace,  King 
of  all  Britain,  the  aforesaid  freedom  with  the  mark  of  the  holy 
cross  have  confirmed.  >J<  I,  Wulfhelm,  of  the  church  of 
Canterbury,  archbishop,  the  bounty  of  the  same  King  with  the 
trophy  of  the  holy  cross  have  signed.  >J<  I,  JElfeah,  of  the 
church  of  Winchester,  bishop,  the  triumphant  trophy  of  the 
sacred  cross  have  impressed.  »J<  I,  Theodred,  of  the  church 
of  London,  bishop,  have  signed.  »J<  I,  Coenwald,  bishop, 
have  consented.  >J<  I,  Oda,  bishop,  have  confirmed.  >J<  I, 
Wulfhelm,  bishop,  have  corroborated.  >J<  I,  ^Elfhere,  duke. 
»Ji  I,  Wulfgar,  duke.  ^  I,  Uhtryd,  duke.  *fr  I,  Odda, 
minister.  »J<  I,  Eadmund,  minister.  »J<  I,  Wulfsige,  minister. 
»J<  I,  Wulmaer,  minister.  »J<  I,  ^Elfsige,  minister.  »|<  I, 
Eadrick,  minister.  »J<  I,  Ealhelm,  minister.1 

1  The  pompous  phrase  and  far-fetched  expressions  derived  from  the  Byzantine 
school,  which  are  conspicuous  in  the  formulae  of  the  preceding  charters,  cannot 
be  easily  imitated  in  an  English  translation ;  nor  are  they  worth  the  attempt 
being  made.  To  the  bad  taste  of  that  age  this  sort  of  language  no  doubt  com 
mended  itself.  The  practice  of  introducing  clauses  of  imprecation  into  legal  in 
struments  was  borrowed  from  the  Continent,  and  can  be  traced  back  to  an  early 
period  of  Church  history. 


10!) 


No.  Xll. 

WE  have  mentioned,  in  a  note,  at  page  37,  that  there  is 
preserved  at  Exeter,  a  grant  from  King  Eadward  to  Duke 
zEthelweard ;  and  at  page  68,  we  have  referred  to  a  grant  of 
the  manor  of  Newton  in  Devon  to  Saint  Petrock,  by  King 
^Ethelstan,  also  preserved  among  the  Exeter  archives.  We 
now  propose  to  give  some  account  of  these  documents,  pre 
mising,  however,  that  it  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  at  any 
length  into  their  contents,  which  would  lead  us  to  a  con 
sideration  of  many  subjects  wholly  beyond  the  purpose  of 
this  work.  We  shall,  therefore,  advert  to  them  so  far  only 
as  they  may  be  thought  to  bear  on  the  inquiry  which  we  have 
undertaken.1 

The  Grant  to  Duke  ^Ethelweard. 

This  charter  bears  the  date  of  A.D.  977,  and  of  the  second 
year  of  the  reign  of  King  Eadward,  usually  styled  the  Martyr, 
who,  we  may  remember,  was  the  stepson  and  supposed  victim 
of  the  Devonshire  lady,  ^Elfrytha.  It  professes  to  contain  a 
grant  of  lands  to  Duke  /Ethelwcard,  who  is  designated  by 
the  accustomed  title  of  the  king's  faithful  eorl,  "meo  fideli 
comiti  nomine  JEthelweard"  The  lands  are  granted  in  per 
petuity,  and  are  described  as  "certain  portions  of  land  in 
divers  places  situate,  that  is,  Trefwurabo  and  Trefualoc, 
Trefgrued  and  Trefdewig"  [quasdam  ruris  particulas  in 
diversis  locis  possitis,  id  est  tnejipupabo  aec  cpcjrualoc 
tnejigrued  set  tpejibepig].  The  instrument  itself  is  written 
on  the  back  of  another  charter,  which  contains  a  grant  of  the 
same  lands,  and  by  the  same  description,  from  King  Eadward 

1  We  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Ralph  Barnes,  Esq.,  the  Bishop's  Secre 
tary,  &c.  &c.,  for  facsimile  copies  of  these  charters. 


166  APPENDIX. 

the  Confessor  to  his  faithful  Bishop  Aldred  [cuidam  fideli 
meo  epo  nomine  Aldredo].  The  date  of  this  charter  is 
A.D.  MLVIIII.,  being  nine  years  after  the  creation  of  the 
Exeter  see ;  and  among  the  witnesses  will  be  found  the  sig 
nature  of  Leofrick,  described  as  Bishop  of  Exeter,  [Ego 
Leofricus  epc  Exoniensis  eccle  confirmaui  et  subscp] .  Aldred, 
in  whose  favour  this  grant  is  made,  we  may  presume  to  have 
been  the  Abbat  of  Tavistock,  who  is  stated  in  the  Chronicles 
(see  p.  47)  to  have  succeeded  Lyving  in  the  see  of  "Worcester 
in  1046 :  and  the  connection  of  Aldred' s  predecessor  with 
Cornwall  or  his  own  with  Tavistock  may  afford  some  expla 
nation  of  this  Cornish  endowment  of  the  Worcester  prelate. 
Bishop  Aldred  was  a  person  distinguished  in  history,  and  was 
raised  to  the  archiepiscopate  of  York  on  Christmas  Day  in  the 
year  succeeding  the  date  of  this  grant.  The  charter  of  977, 
which  more  immediately  demands  our  notice,  being  indorsed 
on  the  other,  is  necessarily  a  transcript  only.  Among  the 
witnesses  to  it  is  a  Bishop  Wulfsige,  who  may  possibly  have 
been  the  Cornish  bishop.  We  cannot  gather  from  this  charter 
whether  ^Ethelweard  was  Duke  of  Cornwall  or  Devon,  or  both. 
The  lands  are  however  in  Cornwall,  and  tref  will  be  recognised 
as  synonymous  with  tre  (a  dwelling-place),  the  familiar  prefix 
to  Cornish  names  of  places,  and  perhaps  its  older  form.  In  the 
Welsh  tongue  it  still  survives.  The  charter  is  consequently 
adequate  for  the  purpose  for  which  we  adduce  it,  namely,  as 
an  additional  testimony  of  the  Duke  ^Ethelweard  named  in 
the  St.  Petrock  Manumissions.  For  while,  on  the  one  hand, 
this  royal  grant  connects  the  duke  with  the  favour  and  pa 
tronage  of  the  king — and  thus,  with  great  probability,  iden 
tifies  him  with  the  personage  of  that  name,  who,  seventeen 
years  later,  was  employed,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  confidential 
service  of  the  sovereign — so,  on  the  other  hand,  the  owner 
ship  of  Cornish  property  identifies  the  same  personage  with 
the  duke  whose  manumission  of  a  serf  is  recorded  at  Saint 


APPENDIX.  16  / 

Petrock  in  Cornwall.  Indeed  the  Charter  and  the  Saint 
Petrock  MS.  mutually  corroborate  each  other;  for  we  cannot 
suppose  that  two  parties  having  no  concert  should  invent  the 
same  falsehood,  by  referring  to  a  Duke  JEthelweard  connected 
with  Cornwall,  if  no  such  personage  had  existed.  The  incon 
sistency  of  King  Eadward's  granting,  in  1059,  lands  which 
had  been  already  disposed  of  by  his  predecessor  eighty-two 
years  before,  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  the  outlawry 
of  the  duke  (see  page  39) ,  which  would  have  involved  a  for 
feiture  of  his  estates  to  the  crown. 


The  Grant  of  the  Manor  of  Newton  in  Devon  to  St.  Petrock' a 
Monastery,  by  King  JEthelstan. 

This  charter,  which  purports  to  be  King  ^Ethelstan's, 
bears  the  inconsistent  date  of  A.D.  DCLXX.,  and  llth  of  the 
indiction,  and  by  it  the  King  grants  "one  hide,  at  the  place 
where  by  the  inhabitants  it  is  called  Nywantune — to  God  and 
to  the  holy  confessor  Petrocus,  at  the  monastery  of  the  same 
saint,  to  hold  so  long  as  the  Catholic  faith  shall  continue  with 
the  English  nation"  [unii  cassatum  in  loco  ubi  ab  incolis  uoci- 
tatur  set  nypantune  do  et  sco  conpessori  Petnoco  ab  monas- 
tenium  eiusdem  sci  ut  habeat  quamdiu  jiides  Catholica  in 
jente  Anjlorum  penmaneat].  There  will  be  found  in  the 
Cod.  Dip.  a  charter  (No.  370)  containing  a  grant  of  Top- 
paesham  to  Saint  Mary's  monastery  at  Exeter,  which  in  point 
of  language  and  signatures,  and  even  in  the  false  date,  com 
prises  the  ipsissima  verba  of  this  document.  The  anachronism 
of  the  date  exposes  it  to  grave  suspicion,  but  if  we  were  at 
liberty  to  attribute  the  error  to  the  copyist,  the  true  date  is 
easily  determined.  Among  the  signatures  are  those  of  Arch 
bishop  Wulfhelm  and  Bishop  ^Ethelgar.  The  latter,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  appointed  to  the  see  of  Crediton,  on  the  death 
of  Eadulph,  933 :  and  it  may  be  gathered  from  the  charters, 


168  APPENDIX. 

that  Oda  succeeded  Wulfhelm  at  Canterbury,  A.D.  941.  The 
charter  under  our  consideration  would  therefore  have  a  place 
between  these  dates,  and  if  the  iudiction  can  be  relied  on,  it 
would  fix  the  year  at  A.D.  938,  the  same  date  which  is  assigned 
by  Mr.  Kemble,  and  perhaps  for  the  same  reason,  to  No.  370. 
But  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  us  to  consider  the  authen 
ticity  of  this  document,  for,  if  authentic,  it  would  afford  us 
no  aid  in  our  inquiry  as  to  the  site  of  Saint  Petrock.  The 
charter  of  King  Eadred  is  cited  (page  66),  as  containing  a 
grant  to  the  prior  and  canons  of  Bodmin,  but  this  of  .ZEthel- 
stan  gives  us  no  information  where  St.  Petrock's  monastery 
lay  at  the  date  of  this  grant.  It  is  possible  that  this  may  be 
one  of  the  documents  seen  by  Leland.  It  may  be  observed, 
that  it  was  not  pleaded  by  the  prior  in  the  proceedings  against 
him  in  the  time  of  Edward  I. ;  nor  recited  in  the  charter  of 
Henry  III.1 

1  It  is  briefly  noticed  by  Wanley,  in  the  second  volume  of  Hickes'  Thesaurus. 
It  is  there  termed  "Carta  commentitia  jEthelstani,"  with  the  further  remark, 
"  Carta  autem  post  Normannorum  adventum  a  monachis  conficta  videtur." 


16<J 


No.  XIII. 

Chronological  Table. 


A.D. 

ATTTHOBITIES. 

Advent  of  the  Saxons  in  Britain  under  Hengist 

449. 

Sax.  Chron 

Death  of  Saint  Patrick,  who  is  stated  to   have 

457. 

Annal.  Camb, 

Arrival  of  the  Gewissso  or  West  Saxons  in  Britain 
Saint  Petrock  is  said  to  have  visited  Cornwall 

Saint  Augustine,  the  first  Koman  missionary,  lands 
in  England,  and  ^Ethelberht,  King  of  Kent,  is 

495. 
518. 

597. 

Sax.  Chron. 
Usher. 

Sax.  Chron. 

Bishop  Birinus  arrives  in  England,  and  preaches 

634. 

Sax.  Chron. 

Cynegils,  King  of  the  West  Saxons,  baptized  at 

}    635'  \ 

Sax.  Chron. 
Beda.    Flor. 

J            ( 
660. 

of  Wor. 

Flor  of  Wor 

705-9.  f 

Sax.  Chron. 

The  sees  of  Wilton,  Wells,  and  Crediton,  said  to  be 

}  906.  [ 

Flor.  of  Wor. 
Bodl.  MS. 

The  subjugation  of  Huwal  or  ITowel,  last  King  of 

926. 

Sax.  Chron. 

2Ethel[geard],  in  the  time  of  King  Eadred,  the 
earliest  bishop  named  in  the  manumissions  at 

I  946-55. 

SeeTable,p.32. 

^Ethelstan  the  earliest  personage  to  be  found  in 
the  charters  designated  as  a  Cornish  bishop  .     . 

Pillage  of  Saint  Petrock's  monastery  by  Danish 

)    966.  3 

QQ1 

Charter    No. 
528,  Codex 
Dip. 

King  JEthelred's  grant  to  Ealdred,  Bishop   of 

<l<  t  I 

Sax.  Chron. 

King  Cnut's  grant  to  Buruhwold,  Bishop  of  Corn- 

yy*. 

See  Appendix. 

Lyving,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  Crediton,  and  Wor 
cester,  dies,  and  Leofrick  succeeds  to  the  two 

lUlo. 
£l016.  [ 

See  Appendix. 

Bodl.  MS. 
Flor.  of  Wor. 

King  Eadward's   charter,  uniting  Cornwall  and 
Devon  into  one  diocese  with  the  see  at  Exeter  . 

)            * 

1050. 
innfi 

See  Appendix. 

Leofrick's  death,  and  Osbearne  succeeds  to  the  see 

i  n*7i 

T>_JI    iiifq 

lORfi     f 

Sir  K.  Ellis's 

lUBb.    | 

Introd. 

INDEX, 


A. 

ADELHELM,  B.,  6,  8. 

Adelredus,  B.,  17. 

Adelstan.     See  ^Etlielstau. 

JEdoc's  manumission,  date  of,  35, 

.Eldred,  B.,  10,  47. 

jElfeah,  B.,  38. 

^Elfeod,  B.,  56,  58. 

^Elfgyth's  manumission,  35. 

Alfred,  K.,  7  ;  sometimes  written  Alured,  58. 

-Mfric,  B.,  10,  11,41. 

^Elfrytha,  29— her  marriage,  34. 

^thelflced,  36. 

^thelgar,  B.,  55,  167. 

^Ethelfeeard],  B.,  25,  54. 

^Ethelmar,  D.,  38. 

^thelred,  K.,  10, 17— his  manumission,  36— grant  to  B.  Ealdred,  14, 
76,  80,  119. 

^Ethelred,  B.,  35,  54. 

yEthelstan,  K.,  appointed  B.  Conan,  15 — his  supposed  foundation  of 
the  Cornish  see,  16 — grant  of  Newton  Manor,  68 — Charter  re 
lating  to  the  Crediton  see,  79 — his  gift  of  relics  to  Saint  Peter's 
Monastery,  70,  115 — presence  at  Exeter,  117 — grant  to  Saint 
Petrock,  68,  167 — subjugation  of  Cornwall,  99. 

^Ethelstan,  Adelstan  I.,  supposed  first  Cornish  bishop,  6,  7,  8,  17 — 
his  appointment  disproved,  11,  13 — supposed,  by  Dr.  Whitaker, 
a  usurpation,  13 — rejected  from  the  list,  13. 

^Ethelstan  II.,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  14,  27,  54. 

JSthelweard's  Chronicle,  41. 

jEthelweard,  D.,  35,  37,  et  sey. — date  of  his  manumission,  42 — grant 
of  lands  to,  165. 

^Ethelwold,  Duke,  29. 


172  INDEX 

Aldestowe,  72. 

Aldhelm's  letter  to  Gerontius,  100. 

Aldredus,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  17. 

Aldredus,  Bishop  of  Worcester,  grant  to,  166. 

Alfwold,  ^Ifwold,  B.,  55,  56. 

Aluric,  Alfric,  B.,  55,  58. 

Angelic  hosts,  division  of,  122. 

Anglo-Saxons  received  Christianity  from  Rome,  ix, 

Asser,  B.,  7,  145. 

Athelstan.     See  ^Ethelstan. 

Anlaf,  K.,  38. 

B. 

Beda,  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  4. 

BeUs,  51,  137. 

Berian,  Saint,  72,  109. 

Bernegus,  B.,  6,  8. 

Birinus,  B.,  converted  the  West  Saxons,  ix. 

Bishops  of  Cornwall,  list  of,  54. 

Bishops  of  Crediton,  4 — list  of,  55. 

Bishops,  seven,  appointment  of,  6,  8 — tested  by  the  charters,  145. 

Bodleian  MS.,  9,  96, 141 — must  have  been  seen  by  William  of  Mamies- 
bury,  144 — tested  by  the  charters,  145. 

Bodmin  deemed  place  of  the  see,  59,  61 — Prior  of  proceeded  against, 
66, 158 — held  by  Saint  Petrock,  64 — mentioned  in  manumissions, 
67 — derivation  of,  69— Parish  Church,  105. 

Bosmanna,  69. 

Brihwald,  Brihtwoldus,  11. 

British  Bishops  to  be  reordained,  100. 

British  Church  not  subject  to  the  Pope,  101 — at  variance  with  the 
Saxon  Church,  100. 

Britons  omitted  to  convert  the  Saxons,  ix. 

Britwyn,  B.,  17. 

Buruhwold,  Burhwold,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  uncle  of  Lyving,  13 — his 
episcopacy,  35,  36 — not  the  last  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  45,  54. 

Burwoldus,  B.,  17. 

C. 

Calling,  12,  87,  142. 

Camden,  4 — on  the  Cornish  see,  59. 

Capella,  138 — meaning  of,  52. 

Charters,  Anglo-Saxon,  their  style,  121, 125 — not  actually  signed,  125. 


INDEX.  173 

Chcnulf,  B.,  6,  8. 

Chorepiscopi,  44. 

Chess  introduced  by  the  Danes,  31. 

Cholsey,  42. 

Chronological  Table,  169. 

Churls,  40. 

Cnut,  K.,  grant  to  Bishop  Buruhwold,  13,  80,  126 — gave  the  Cornish 

see  to  Bishop  Lyving,  13. 
Coenuulf,  K.,  56. 
Codex  Dipl.  of  Mr.  Kemble,  21. 
Comoere,  or  Cemoere,  B.,  26,  54. 

Conan,  Bishop  of  Cornwall,  named  by  Leland,  15 — in  the  charters, 
but  name  variously  spelt,  16,  17,  54 — perhaps  a  British  bishop, 
100. 

Conanus,  B.     See  Conan. 
Cornish  Bishops,  list  of,  54. 

Cornish  See,  said  to  be  created,  A.  D.  904,  1,  6 — disproved,  7-13 — 
see  extinguished,  A.  D.  1050,  x.,  2,  82 — origin  obscure,  96 — 
bishops  of  not  named  by  early  writers,  4 — place  of,  according  to 
Camden  and  others,  59 — Leland,  92— Mr.  D.  Gilbert,  94— re 
moval  from  Bodmin  to  Saint  Germans,  75 — a  joint  see  at  Saint 
Germans  and  Bodmin,  84 — no  distinctive  name,  86 — passed  over 
in  communication  to  the  Pope,  97 — perhaps  a  British  see,  98,  100 
— removed  on  account  of  pirates,  103 — bishop  of,  his  position, 
104. 

Cornish  tongue,  104,  note. 
Cornvalge,  64. 

Corruinensian  Church,  10,  11. 

Corvinensian  see,  8 — not  the  Cornish  but  the  Wilton,  10,  11. 
Cornwall,  Eorls  of,  33,  38. 
Cornwall,  origin  of  the  name,  61. 
Cornwall,  resistance  to  the  English  Church,  12,   100 — submitted  to 

English  rule,  A.D.  926,  16,  99. 
Cornwealas,  or  Cornish,  61. 
Courson's  vocabulary,  104,  105,  note. 
Crediton,  manor  of,  87. 

Crediton  see  endowed  with  three  vills  in  Cornwall,  12,  87, 142— Church 
of  Holy  Cross  not  the  Cathedral  Church,  79— bishops  of,  55— 
charter  to,  79,  161— when  established,  96,  146. 
Cressy's  statement  regarding  Bishop  Ethelstan,  11. 
Cuddenbeake,  JOS. 
Cunan.     See  Conan. 


174  INDEX. 

D. 

Darton,  88. 

Denulph,  B.,  7,  145. 

Devon  see  said  to  be  first  at  Tawton,  4 — united  with  Cornwall,  x,  2,  82. 

Domesday,  Exeter  copy,  64. 

Domnonia,  Domnania,  used  for  Devon,  34,  60. 

Dorchester,  8 — transferred  to  Mercia,  6 — first  see  in  West  Saxony,  ix. 

Dunstan,  Archbishop,  14,  55. 

E. 

Eadgar  and  .Mfrytha,  story  of,  29. 

Eadgar,  K.,  his  manumission,  43. 

Eadgytha,  Queen,  82,  83,  130,  143. 

Eadmund,  K.,  his  manumission,  68. 

Eadnoth,  B.,  56. 

Eadred,  K.,  his  grant  to  Saint  Petrock,  66. 

Eadulph,  B.,  6,  8,  9,  12,  55,  56— charter  to,  161. 

Eadward  the  elder,  King,  appointment  of  seven  bishops,  5,  6,  8,  144. 

Eadward  the  Martyr,  King,  his  death,  33 — his  charter,  165. 

Eadward  the    Confessor,  King,  terminated  the  Cornish  see,  2 — his 

charter  establishing  the  Exeter  see,  81,  130. 
Eadwig,  King  of  the  Churls,  39,  40. 
Ealdred,  B.,  14,  54— charter  granted  to,  A.D.  994,  119. 
Ely  Domesday,  65. 
Eorl,  or  Ealdorman,  his  duties,  28. 

Eorls  of  Cornwall,  none  mentioned  in  history  before  the  conquest,  38. 
Eorls  of  Devon,  table  of,  151. 

Exeter  Monastery  founded,  117 — made  the  episcopal  seat,  131. 
Exeter  Parliament  or  Gemot,  117. 
Exeter  see  established,  2,  81,  130. 
Eyle  river,  62,  157. 

F. 

Florence  of  Worcester,  date  of  his  Chronicle,  4 — his  account  of  the 
appointment  of  the  seven  bishops,  8  — mentions  the  union  of  the 
Devon  &  Cornwall  sees,  4 — omitted  to  name  the  Cornish  Bishops,  4. 

Formosus  (Pope),  5,  7,  141,  145. 

Frithestan,  Fridestan,  B.,  6,  7,  8,  145. 

G. 

Gaimar's  Chronicle,  30. 

Germans,  Saint,  Priory  of,  15 — Lands  in  Domesday,  89 — Church  of,  106, 


INDEX.  175 

Germans,  Saint,  see  of,  11,  19,  154— bishops  of,  15,  17— a  British 
see,  98. 

Germanus,  Abbat,  36,  42. 

Germanus,  Saint,  grant  to,  by  King  Cnut,  13,  81,  126. 

Gerontius,  K.,  100. 

Gestin,  the  bishop's  steward,  94. 

Gewisi,  or  West  Saxons,  meaning  of,  viii,  6,  8. 

Gilbert,  Mr.  D.,  quotes  the  Bodleian  MS.  as  poetry,  12 — on  the  en 
dowment  of  the  Crediton  see,  12 — dissents  from  Dr.  Whitaker,  as 
to  Saint  Germans  being  the  see,  92 — his  edition  of  Mount  Calvary, 
104. 

God  wine,  B.,  4 — his  list  of  Cornish  Bishops,  17. 

Godwine,  Eorl,  51. 

Gospels,  Bodmin  Book  of,  19. 

Gurou,  Saint,  69. 

H. 

Hardy,  Mr.,  his  edition  of  W.  of  Malmesbury's  works,  8,  9. 
Harewood,  where  Duke  ^Ethelwold  is  said  to  have  been  slain,  32. 
Harold,  Eorl,  51. 
Hayle,  62. 
Haylernout,  72. 
Hegilmithe,  60,  62. 

Heylin,  P.,  added  Saint  Petrock  to  the  list  of  Cornish  Bishops,  18. 
Hickes'  Thesaurus,  168. 

Holecumbe,  Manor  of,  67,  73 — not  given  to  the  Exeter  see,  90. 
Holy  Cross,  Church  of,  at  Crediton  not  the  Cathedral  Church,  79. 
Hooker's  Catalogue  of  Cornish  Bishops,  18. 

Howel,  Huwal,  King  of  Cornwall,  submitted  to  ^Ethelstan,  16 — the 
last  British  prince  in  Cornwall,  99 — his  death,  100. 

I. 

Ide,  51. 

Imprecations  introduced  into  charters,  164. 
Inquisition,  temp.  Edw.  III.,  75,  154. 
Infangtheof,  77. 

K. 
Kyrtlingtune,  57. 


176  INDEX. 

L. 

Laftenack,  72. 

Landbert,  142. 

Landerhtun,  13,  81,  87,  88,  126. 

Landrake,  88. 

Landulph,  88. 

Landuuithan,  12,  87,  142. 

Lawhitton,  87. 

Leland,  his  notice  of  Saint  Germans  Priory,  15 — saw  names  of  eleven 
Bishops  of  Cornwall,  15,  17 — his  authority  for  Bishop  Conan,  16 
— his  account  of  the  Cornish  see,  92. 

Leo  Y.  (Pope),  7,  142. 

Leofrick,  B.,  said  to  have  given  the  Bodleian  MS.  to  Exeter,  9 — first 
Bishop  of  Exeter,  45 — a  Cornish  Bishop,  48 — some  account  of 
him,  49 — his  will  or  charter,  50,  54,  56,  136 — a  favourite  of 
King  Eadward,  104— his  installation  at  Exeter,  131,  143— death, 
144. 

Liner  Eiver,  60. 

Liskeard — Lyscerruyt,  36. 

Lyving,  B.,  his  familiarity  with  King  Cnut,  13,  45 — united  the  Corn 
wall  and  Devon  sees,  13,  45,  47 — his  death,  45,  49 — a  Cornish 
Bishop,  48 — some  account  of  him,  48,  54,  56 — the  three  sees  the 
reward  of  his  services,  104. 

M. 

Malmesbury,  William  of,  date  of  his  Chronicle,  4 — his  authority  for 

Bishop  ^Ethelstan  I.,  6 — controverted,  7 — his  text  not  corrupt,  8 

— derived  from  the  Bodleian  MS.,  9,  144. 
Manumission  of  serfs  at  Saint  Petrock,  20 — table  of  evidences  derived 

therefrom,  24 — first  published  by  Mr.  Gilbert,  92 — evidence  as  to 

the  place  of  the  see,  93. 

Mankind  created  to  supply  the  fallen  angels,  122. 
Meen,  Saint,  70. 
Monasteries  subject  to  the  bishop,  77. 

N. 

Nassington,  73. 
Newton  Manor,  granted  by  King  Henry  III.,  G6,  152— the  grant 

pleaded,  66,  158— the  grant  of,  by  King  Eadred,  66,  152;  by 

King  ^thelstan,  68,  167. 
Newton  Petrok,  67,  73— did  not  pass  to  the  Exeter  see,  90. 


I.NDEX.  17? 

O. 

Oliver.  Dr.,  his  Monattico*  Exu/t.,  44. 
Ordgar,  Duke,  28— his  death,  35. 
Ordulph,  29. 
Osbearne,  B.,  86. 

V. 

L'adstow,  supposed  site  of  Saiut  Petroek's,  61,  71 — origin  of  name,  71 

—fishery  of,  73. 
Patrick,  Saint,  18,  71. 
Pawton,  87. 

Peter,  Saint,  Monastery  of,  50,  87,  115. 
Petherick  (Little),  73. 
Petrock,  Saint,  18— Leland's  account  of  him,  68,  69— theft  of  his  body, 

70— relics  of,  70,  115. 
Petrockstowe,  Saint,  foundation  of,  16 — site  of,  61 — pillaged,  ib. — its 

lands  in  Domesday,  64 — annexed  to  the  Cornish  see,  77. 
Pleigmundus,  (Archb.)  6,  8. 
Polltun,  12,  87,  142. 
Pryce's  Cornish  Focabnlary,  104. 

R, 

Ramabury  see,  10,  11 
Ramsey,  42. 
ttuydocus,  B.,  17. 

S. 

Salisbury  see,  11. 

Saxons,  West,  crossed  the  Tuuiar,  5,  102. 
Serfdom,  20. 

Shebbear  Hundred,  66,  152. 
Sherborne  see,  1 1 . 
Sideman,  B.,  55,  57— his  death,  58. 
Sigeric,  B.,  10,  11. 

Signatures  to  the  charters  not  written  by  the  parties,  27,  125. 
Somner,  W.,  52. 
Spelman,  Sir  H.,  his  opinion  of  the  appointment  of  the  seven  bishops,  7 

— his  account  of  it,  9. 
Stidio,  B.,  17. 
Stowe,  how  applied,  73. 
Sunnungnensian  see,  same  as  Oorvinensian,  1 1 . 


178  INDEX. 

T. 

Tarton  Down,  88. 

Tau  River,  29. 

Tawton  said  to  be  the  Devonshire  sec,  4 . 

Tauistok,  29,  42,  47,  48. 

Tinieltun,  81,  87,  88,  126. 

Tinyell,  Tiimel,  88. 

Toppeshame,  50,  16?. 

Tref,  the  same  as  tre,  106, 

U. 
Uuignoth,  B.,  57, 


VVallingford,  42, 

Wanley,  H.}  68,  168. 

Warewell,  32. 

Warlewist,  B.,  90. 

Wencenethel's  manumission}  date  of,  85. 

Werstan,B.,  68. 

West-  Welsh,  or  Cornish,  submitted  to  King  ^Ethelstan,  16,  99. 

Whitaker,  Dr.,  supposes  Bishop  ^thelstan's  appointment  by  King 
Eadward  a  usurpation,  13  —  his  note  of  Leland's  date  for  the 
foundation  of  Petrockstowe,  16  —  enumerates  the  British  bishops, 
18—  his  Cathedral  of  Cornwall,  59. 

WhorweU,  Hants,  32. 

Wilton,  or  Wiltshire  see,  10. 

Winchester  see  divided  about  A.D.  908-9,  7,  1453  146, 

Wolfi,  B.,  17  —  perhaps  the  same  as  Wulsie,  28. 

Wolocus,  B.,  17. 

Worcester,  see  of,  46,  47. 

Worcester,  William  of,  105. 

Woronus,  B.,  17. 

Wulfsige,  or  Wulsie,  B.,  26}  54. 


Zcussr  Orammaiica  Celtica,  104. 


i.  PlCKlON,  PfilNTEK,  PjKEEY's  PLACE,  29,  OxrOKlJ  SlKEET 


BR 


PEDLER 

,-  THE  ANGLO-SAXON 
EPISCOPATE  OF  CORNWALL 

117421 


DATE 


ISSUED  TO 


m,